


Kindred

by Krovski



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Femdom, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Girl Penis, Happy Sex, Height Differences, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, M/M, Magic and Science, Multi, Older Woman/Younger Man, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Polygamy, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2019-09-29 09:44:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17201192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krovski/pseuds/Krovski
Summary: The Defender of the Universe has come, his new Bearer chosen, and a fated battle with his nemesis looms on the horizon. The heart of a lion beats within Katie Holt, and her roar will echo across the cosmos.





	1. The Space Lion's Den

**Abandoned Garrison Facility…**

A green jeep pulled to a stop in front of a large storehouse. Out of the driver's side of the vehicle stepped a tall, well-built man with undercut black hair dressed in a gray t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a black leather jacket.

"Well, here we are," he said as he shut the door. "What's your scanner say?"

Coming out of the passenger's seat was a rather small young woman with short brown hair and wearing a green and white long sleeve shirt and grey cargo shorts. She then set her backpack on the ground to retrieve a pair of headphones from it and set them on her head. After connecting them to a small handheld device, she switched it on and adjusted her glasses as rows of data scrolled down the screen. A few seconds later and the startup sequence was finished, a blinking arrow pointing straight ahead at the building before them.

"I was right," she proclaimed. "Whatever left behind that impact crater outside of town was brought here."

"But why? Nobody's worked here since… you know," her companion added sheepishly.

"I do know," she sighed. "It's probably just some overzealous stargazers who thought they could camp here for the night."

"How'd they get past the chains, then?"

"That I  _don't_  know," she walked up to the large sliding doors blocking their entry and pulled the chains to no avail. "Can you grab the bolt cutters from the back, please?"

She heard the faint sound of the car door opening and closing again before her partner moved to stand next to her, bolt cutters at the ready. He gripped the tool tightly in both hands and placed it against the chains, but paused after that.

"You sure you want to go any further?" he asked her, his voice laced with concern.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then gave him a small smirk. "Yeah. Thanks for being here, Shiro."

He smiled back. "Always, Katie."

"Now, can we please get on with breaking into this abandoned government facility?"

"Sure," he replied before bringing both hands together and cutting the chains. "There are worse ways to spend your vacation, after all."

"Ugh, you sound like Mom."

"And  _you_  sound like Lance," he then took hold of the metal bindings.

"Who else do you think gave me inspiration for this idea?" she grinned, Shiro rolling his eyes in response.

The off-duty police officer then grabbed the metal bindings and tore them off the handles, which he then used to pull the thick rusting doors open wide enough for the two of them to enter through. The interior was dark enough to make it hard to see, prompting Shiro to pull out a small, pocket-sized flashlight and switch it on. He then gestured for Katie to enter first, not only because her gadget would guide their steps, but also out of personal preference to keep her where he could see her.

Katie may be an adult now, but he still had a promise to keep.

The building as a whole was massive, an easy assessment considering how vacant it was. Eight enormous support columns held the structure up, four on each side, but the vast majority of the inside was empty save for a crate or two here and there. Shiro approached one out of curiosity and flipped the lid open, his eyes widening upon discovering what was inside.

"What's an intact ATV doing in here?" he wondered aloud as he inspected the vehicle with his flashlight.

"I guess the government decided it wasn't worth keeping," Katie called out from a little ways ahead. "Either that or they just forgot about it. Both could apply to whatever's left in this place."

"Shame to let a piece of equipment like this go to waste," he noted as he closed the lid.

"I know, right?"

As for Katie, she kept her gaze fixed on the tiny screen of her gizmo as it led her along. Truth be told, it made a perfect distraction from her memories of this place. When they were kids, she and Matt would often come here to play while their dad was busy in his lab. They would chase each other around, play hide and seek, or even have a scavenger hunt. There was even one particular day when this building had yet to be restocked that they took time to actually name each of the support columns.

Oh look; she just passed Dave, the one she shimmied up over halfway and got too scared to climb down from. Commander Iverson was furious when her dad had to leave his station to come rescue her that day.

It was then that she felt her eyes were beginning to sting, so she moved on.

The arrow on-screen then started to blink faster and faster, meaning they were getting close to their prize. The college student increased her walking speed until she was almost jogging, but barely ten seconds passed before the arrow suddenly disappeared from the screen, replaced by a blinking circle right in its center. Blinking in confusion, Katie looked around at the bare floors, right in the center of the storehouse where a single light shone down from above.

"This doesn't make any sense," she said as she began pressing commands into her scanner. "It says we should be right on top of it."

By now, Shiro had caught up with her and stood a few feet away. "You sure? Maybe you could try another scan."

"I did. The meteor should be right here."

Shiro took in their immediate surroundings, thankful that there was at least one light in this place working so they could see somewhat. However, he noticed something as the beam from his flashlight passed along the far wall; a series of four levers with the symbol of a lightning bolt above them, indicating to him that those must have been the light switches according to his knowledge of Garrison regulations.

And they were all switched  **off**.

While Katie muttered obscenities at her uncooperative technological servant, he began following the power cables up the wall, hoping to find the source of the mysterious light above them.

"These buildings weren't designed to have basements, so what gives?" Katie continued to rattle off.

"Katie…"

"Stupid thieves stealing my space rock and sending us on a wild goose chase. I'll find that goose and roast it for dinner."

"Katie!"

"What?"

She rounded on him with a glare at the ready, only to find her accomplice staring straight up at the ceiling with a look of pure shock and fear. That was weird; Shiro was the bravest person she knew; what on Earth could scare him like that?

So she followed his line of sight and then got her answer.

She barely had time to register what it was before it fell from its perch on the ceiling and landed on all fours in front of them. It appeared to be some sort of feline creature, but its body was completely white, glowing, and somewhat transparent, as well. As it sat back on its hind legs, Katie then became aware of the oddly-shaped "V" symbol on its chest.

"What the hell is that thing?" Katie asked, remaining still so as to not provoke it.

"I don't know," Shiro answered quietly. "It looks like a lion of some kind."

"I wasn't aware of a subspecies that was both albino and see-through," her scanner then began beeping rapidly, the blue dot in the center changing from blue to green as she pointed it in the direction of the lion. "Shiro, I think we found the meteor."

"Wait, you're saying this thing is from space?"

"Don't question my analysis!"

The lion looked back and forth between the two individuals, settling on Shiro for a moment before switching back over to Katie. Its blank yellow eyes narrowed at her and then its whole body shined even brighter, the light illuminating the area and forcing them to shield their eyes for a moment until they adjusted. Once they were able to focus, they saw that the lion had started moving, its steps quiet and tail swishing as it stalked towards them.

Katie took a step backward as Shiro threw his left arm out in front of her. The creature continued its approach, so he reached to his belt, pulled out his sidearm, and aimed down the sights.

"Katie, get back to the jeep."

“You brought your gun?"

"Better to have it and not need it. Now, go!"

Katie nodded and took off, the lion kneeling down low like it was preparing to pounce at her before she could get too far. But Shiro stepped into its path, handgun at the ready.

"Back off!" he shouted, hoping to scare it away.

Instead, the lion roared at him and then snatched his gun in its jaws. The policeman struggled to pull it free, but when that didn't work he opted to fire off a few rounds down its throat. All that did was aggravate the beast to the point that it wrenched the weapon from its owner's hand and bit down on it, reducing the scrapped firearm to dust. Shiro only had a second to be stunned before the lion swiped its massive paw and knock him into one of the support columns.

Grunting in pain, he pushed himself up and contemplated what he could do to keep Katie safe. That animal would  **not**  harm his friend! Lifting his head, he saw a very familiar crate, one that gave him an idea.

Katie's lungs burned as she opened the driver's side door and climbed into the seat. Panting for breath, she inserted her keys into the ignition, the headlights coming on as the engine revved up.

"Yes," she cheered, only to screech at the sight of the lion leaping onto the hood of her vehicle.

The metal groaned under its weight as it pressed its paw against her windshield. She pushed back against her seat in a vain attempt to get further away from it, beads of sweat forming on her brow. But the sound of another motor drew her became the herald of her salvation; Shiro driving towards them full speed on the ATV they found earlier.

"Reverse!" he called out to her.

Acting quickly, she shifted to the appropriate gear and then slammed her foot down on the gas. The jeep jerked backward, the lion losing its grip and tumbling onto the ground, but right as it regained its footing, Shiro jumped off his transport at the last second. The blow to the creature's side sent it crashing into the headlights of Katie's jeep and breaking one of them, not to mention leaving a sizable dent in the grill. Ignoring the damage the policeman's stunt inflicted upon her precious baby, Katie pushed the deflating airbag out of view right as he appeared outside her window.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she breathed as he climbed into the passenger seat and put on his seatbelt. "Just a little shaken up."

"Good, now let's get out of here."

Katie nodded, making sure to buckle up before switching gears again and speeding away, the lion itself left in their dust. In no time at all, they reached the edge of the perimeter, and that's when Shiro pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Katie asked without looking away from the path she was driving.

"Trying to call animal control to let them know what what we found, but I can't get a signal out," he admitted.

"There's been no service out here since the base's comms tower was decommissioned. My satellite phone's in the glove compartment; use that."

Shiro reached down and opened the small hollow in the dash, only to find that a few extra buttons and knobs had been either screwed or welded on in various areas. Looks like Katie got a little overzealous with her modifications.

"How do I work this thing?"

"It's easy," she looked away from the road only for a moment to instruct him. "You press that button with your thumb, that one with your index finger, and use your other hand to-"

"Katie!"

Snapping her eyes forward again, Katie screamed when the lion appeared in their pathway. Any thought she had of how it got ahead of them was drowned out by her need to get away from it, but her terror got the better of her and made her turn the wheel too far and too fast. The jeep swerved away from the beast at the last second… right into a flip that caused them to slide across the ground for several yards.

Once they finally stopped, they found themselves hanging upside down, supported only by their seatbelts. Katie blinked several times and then looked over to Shiro, who was in the same condition she was.

"Shiro? Shiro, you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little banged up," he mumbled. "Can you move?"

"Yeah," she pulled herself up a little ways and unbuckled her seatbelt, hitting the floor with minor pain. "Just gimme a second and I'll help get you out."

"We don't have a second."

Katie was about to ask what he meant, but then found that she didn't need to; she saw it. The lion was walking towards them, still fixated on the young college student. Panic began to settle in her mind as she tried to free Shiro next, but the buckle would not release no matter how many times she pushed the button or pulled the strap.

"Katie, get out of here; I'll draw it towards me," she was about to protest, but he stopped her with a glare. "Go. Now!"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "O-Okay."

Her eyes grew misty as she crawled her way out through the open window, immediately springing to her feet once she was clear of the wreckage and sprinting away as fast as possible.

"Sorry I couldn't do more, Sam," Shiro whispered morosely, resigning himself to his fate as he turned to face the lion, which was now running towards him. "C'mon, come and get me!"

The beast snarled before its speed increased, the policeman preparing himself for the end. But much to his horror, it bounded clear over the jeep at the last second and then continued to claw after Katie once it landed on the other side.

"No! Katie, RUN!"

Katie could barely hear him over the sound of her own ragged breathing. She dared to glance over her shoulder, gasping when she saw the lion getting closer. But diverting her attention from where she was running immediately cost her as she tripped over a stone and face-planted into the dirt. Pushing herself up to her knees, she barely had time to mourn her broken glasses before remembering what was chasing her. By the time she looked back, it had already leaped at her, fangs bared and claws extended.

BA-DUM

_Dad…_

BA-DUM

_Matt…_

BA-DUM

_I'm sorry…_

ROAR!

(X)

**???...**

She blinked and found herself in someplace new. Instead of being surrounded by desert sand beneath a starry sky, there was only an endless expanse of white beneath her feet, while the clouds above her swirled in a nonexistent wind and coalesce into a single point. All of which she could see clear as crystal, despite the absence of her cognitive lenses.

 _Where am I,_  she wondered.  _Wait, where's the lion? Where's Shiro?_

"Shiro," she shouted before cupping her hands around her mouth and trying again. "SHIRO!"

No reply, but that was when she noticed the glow of her hands, arms, torso, and legs. She then ran her fingers through her hair and found it to be longer, reaching down past her shoulders like it used to.

"What the…?" she shook her head, refusing to get caught up in something so trivial in such a dire situation. "Shiro, where are you?!"

Silence once again.

"Sh-Shiro…" she muttered, her voice trembling. "M-Mom?"

Her heart pounded in her ears, arms shaking and legs trembling. Katie prided herself on her scientific and technical knowledge, but for the first time in her life, she was now completely at a loss. How did she go from being hunted down by a bioluminescent space lion to ending up alone in an empty void? It didn't make any sense! Was she unconscious, or did the lion actually get her?

"Hunk… L-Lance?"

And if he got her… did that mean she was dead?

And if she was dead… then maybe…

"D-Dad?" she whispered as tears welled in her eyes. "Matt? Are you there? Is… anyone there?"

Her voice cracked in the end, and when nothing responded she fell to her knees and began to weep. She hugged her arms to her heaving chest, tears flowing down her face as the reality of what had befallen her came crashing down atop her.

"No," she murmured, but her voice rose in volume as she continued. "No no no no no no no, not like this. Not now. Someone, please, help me. HELP ME!"

"I am here," came a feminine voice that was sweeter than honey to Katie's ears.

Looking ahead in the direction it came from, she bore witness to a maiden of ethereal beauty coming forth from the emptiness like a radiant goddess. Tall, slender, and dark-skinned, she was garbed in a blue and white dress accented with gold, pink, and a lighter shade of blue. A golden tiara adorned her forehead, and purple crystals hung from her ears with no visible attachments. Her shimmering white hair draped all the way down to her hips, with her bangs pulled back to reveal her pointed ears and exquisite face. On each of her cheekbones was a glowing pink mark, and her multicolored eyes shined like tiny nebulas, entrancing Katie to the point that she almost forgot to breathe.

"Hello," the newcomer said, her soft smile oozing compassion.

"H-Hi," Katie replied. "A-Are you an… angel?"

"No, I'm not an angel. I'm an Altean."

"Altean?"

"Yes," the woman placed her hand over her heart and gave a small, but polite bow. "My name is Allura, Crown Princess of Altea and master… of… are you alright?"

Katie had broken down crying again during Allura's greeting, her face buried in her hands to hide her embarrassment. But no sooner than that did Allura get down on her knees and pull the smaller woman into a warm and tender embrace. The young genius allowed herself to be guided forward until her head rested upon the taller woman's chest, followed immediately after by a pair of long arms wrapping around her securely.

"There there," the princess soothed. "Breathe."

Allura's warm body and gentle affection broke through, and after balling her fists on the Altean's dress to relieve the tension in her arms, Katie released a deep, shuddering breath that gave her room to relax.

"I-I'm sorry," Katie sniffed. "I just… when the lion caught me and I ended up here, and then I saw you I thought that… that…"

"You thought that you had perished," Allura tightened her hold, but only slightly. "I'm so sorry you had to experience that. You didn't know what his intentions were and it was insensitive of me to assume otherwise. But I can assure you that you are very much alive, moreso than you have ever been."

"What do you mean?" Katie inquired.

"A great change has come upon you," Allura leaned back so she could wipe the tears from Katie's face. "That lion's name is Voltron, and he has chosen you to be his new bearer."

"Bearer? You mean the lion… Voltron is… inside of me?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Katie then watched as Allura lightly pressed her fingertips to the center of her chest, and the moment they touched a bright symbol appeared there, the same one Katie saw on the lion earlier.

"His essence has merged with your own," Allura explained. "The two of you are now one being, granting you all of his power and wisdom so that you may fulfill your destiny… as the defender of the universe."

"The universe?" Katie echoed in an uncertain tone. "That's… pretty big."

"It is a tremendous responsibility, one that you never asked for nor expected to have thrust upon you," the princess then cupped Katie's cheek, a warm look in her eyes. "But that is why I am here, to ease your burden."

Katie exhaled and leaned into the Altean's soothing touch.  _We've only just met, and yet… I believe her. Somehow I know she's telling the truth._

"Why thank you; I'm flattered."

"Wait… you can hear my thoughts?"

 _And you can hear mine,_ Katie registered the words despite Allura's mouth not moving at all.  _Our bond runs deeper than the physical._

_Bond?_

Before Katie could ask her to explain, she caught something in her peripheral. The rings of clouds above them broke apart one by one as a wall of light drew closer to them from the horizon, if you could even call it that. A strange feeling overtook her that compelled her eyes to close, but she fought against it as best she could.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"It seems you are waking up," Allura answered, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Waking up? I'm dreaming?"

"Yes and no. I wish we had more time, but I'm afraid we must part ways for now."

"B-But I have so many questions," the brunette exclaimed. "What is this place? Where's Altea? Why do you and I have a bond? And-"

A finger upon her lips silenced her, and then the same digit proceeded to tuck a strand of her chestnut-colored hair behind her ear.

"I promise all your questions will be answered," Allura assured. "But before I go, would you mind telling me your name and what world you're from, please?"

A light blush had formed on the princess's cheeks, making the young college student smirk. "My name is Katie Holt, and I'm from Earth."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Katie of Earth."

The way she said her name sent chills all the way up and down Katie's spine as a new warmth enveloped her heart. She savored it as long as she could and then beamed up at the princess. "You too, Princess Allura."

Allura closed her eyes as her whole body shivered, Katie reasoning that the princess must be experiencing the same sensation she felt moments ago. When it passed, Allura's expression mirrored her own as she let out a sigh and then wrapped the earthling in another hug.

"Farewell, Katie," the ivory-haired royal whispered in her ear. "We will see each other again soon."

The wall of light was right on top of them, so Katie wasted no time in returning the gesture, circling her short arms around Allura's waist and resting her chin on the taller woman's shoulder. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too."

And then it all went white.

(X)

**Planet Altea, Capital City of Oriande, The Royal Palace…**

Allura awoke with a joyous gasp as she spring-boarded into a sitting position, the corners of her mouth already sore from how wide she was smiling.

"I found him," she squealed. "I found  **her**!"

Four small weights on her lap drew her attention downward, where all of her little mice friends were scowling up at her, Plachu, the cynical one, tapping his foot indignantly.

"Oh, sorry for waking you," the princess apologized. "I'll make it up to you all later, but right now…"

She threw the covers off herself and made for her door, only to turn around and grab her robe upon realizing that she was only wearing her smallclothes. It was unbecoming of royalty to run through the castle half-naked, after all. Draping it over herself and fastening the belt to her waist, she ran out of her room towards her parents', a few guards giving her surprised looks as she bolted passed them. She soon came upon the door to the king and queen's bedchambers and entered without even bothering to knock.

"Mother, Fathers, I have great news!"

On one side of the large bed arose a well-built Altean man with long white hair, a full beard, and light blue markings on his face. He let out a yawn and scratched his shoulder before opening his eyes to see his daughter standing in the doorway.

"Allura?" Alfor murmured as he took a quick glance at the clock on his bedside table. "It's still three and a half vargas before sunrise."

"What is so urgent, sweetie?" came the voice of the bed's second occupant, a woman who was basically the spitting image of Allura, merely older.

The princess clapped her hands rapidly and bounced on her tippy toes. "I just returned from the Quintessence Field after speaking to Voltron's newest bearer!"

"WHAT?!" shouted the third and final member of Altea's ruling tripartite as he jolted upright from out of the covers, his orange hair and mustache slightly unkempt. "You'd better not be pulling our legs, little missy!"

"I'm not, Papa, I promise," the giddy princess replied.

"If you met the Bearer within the Quintessence Field," Alfor began as realization dawned on him. "Then that means…"

"Our daughter is going to be the Bearer's Bride," Melenor finished, happy tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"YAHOO," Coran cheered, jumping out of bed and landing right in front of Allura. He then picked up his baby girl and spun around as they both laughed, Alfor and Melenor watching with matching smirks.

"The three of us are going to be in-laws, and then grandparents, and then…" Coran stopped and set Allura down as something hit him. "But if the defender of the universe has returned…"

"Then what does the universe need to be defended from?" Alfor finished, a look of determination in his eyes that was shared by both his spouses and their only child.

A chorus of chirps then directed everyone's attention to the floor, where the mice made their way to the bed and scaled the blankets to join the king and queen. Melenor used her finger to pet plump little Platt on the head, earning her a grateful trill from the tiny rodent.

"Why don't you tell us about them, dear?" the queen suggested, wanting to focus on something positive. "What did you learn about your kindred one?"

Allura's face became flushed as she sat cross-legged near the edge of the bed, her second father joining her as the mice made themselves comfortable in her lap.

"Not much, I'm afraid, apart from the fact that my Kindred is a woman,” she confessed. "It was only our first meeting, and a short one, at that."

"Did you at least learn her name and where she's from?" Coran asked, eagerly awaiting her answer. "And you obviously saw what she looked like, so c'mon, spill!"

Allura smiled dreamily. "Her name is Katie Holt, and she's from a planet called Earth…"

Needless to say, none of them got any more sleep that night.

(X)

**A.N:**

My first Voltron fic. What do you think so far?


	2. Recovering and Reminiscing

**Plaht City General Hospital…**

“… think she’s waking up.”

“Katie? Katie, honey?”

The girl in question opened her eyes and found herself in a hospital room surrounded by three individuals. To her right was her mother, Colleen, looking both happy and relieved to see her. On a chair in the corner sat Shiro, and lastly, to her left was one of her oldest friends and confidants, Doctor Veronica McClain, her clipboard held in one hand as she fiddled with her glasses using the other.

“Hey guys,” Katie said as she looked down at the hospital gown she was wearing. “How long was I out?”

“All night,” Veronica replied. “It’s early morning now, but you gave us quite a scare at first, Katie. How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess.”

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” her clearly anxious mother leaned a bit closer to her.

“Yes, Mom, I…” but as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she realized how clearly she could see her surroundings and the people within them. “Wait, why can I see you all clearly?”

“You’re not having trouble seeing us?” the doctor inquired of her.

“No, not unless you put prescription contacts on me while I slept, and you know how much I hate those.”

“Oh my,” Veronica whispered as she jotted down a note on her clipboard. “That is… interesting.”

“Why? What’s interesting?”

“Well, you see…”

SLAM

“PIDGE!”

The loud and abrupt arrival of Katie’s two best friends startled Shiro so badly that he toppled over in his chair. One was a slim, athletic-looking individual wearing a light-gray shirt lined with blue under his gray-brown jacket, and the other a large gentleman wearing his usual yellow shirt and primarily green vest over it. They both stormed up to Katie’s bed, promptly ignoring the misfortune that befell the policeman.

“Are you okay?” Lance asked.

“Shiro said you were attacked and…” Hunk paused, his eyes widening. “Whoah. What happened to you?

“What?” Katie repeated, looking to Veronica for answers. “What is it?”

“Here,” she retrieved a small mirror from her lab coat and offered it to her patient. “You should see for yourself.”

Katie took the object and brought it close to get a good look at the changes to her own features. The first was the color of her pupils, which were no longer black but light green, strangely complimenting her light-brown irises. Her fingers coasted along the strands of her hair which now reached down past her neck and moving them aside revealed her ears to now be pointed. But the most recognizable trait was the white, sickle-shaped markings now on her cheekbones.

“Like Allura’s,” she whispered while tracing her fingers across them.

“Who’s Allura?”

Her mother’s question caused her to blush. “Uh… um…”

“Veronica,” Shiro spoke up. “Can you give us some privacy, please?”

“Of course,” she held out her hand for Katie to return the mirror and pocketed it. “I’ll be back after I’ve finished my rounds and we’ll see if we can get you home before lunch. Behave, Lance.”

“Why are you only telling me that?” he fired back right as she shut the door behind her.

Katie smiled, happy to be in the presence of those dearest to her, but her expression fell when she decided that now would be the best time to address the elephant in the room.

“So, I take it Shiro told you all what happened?”

“He told me first, honey,” Colleen divulged.

“I found you unconscious and then used the satellite phone to call for help,” Shiro recounted. “A rescue chopper airlifted us straight here.”

“I then tried to call these two on my way over but they didn’t reply.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, Colleen,” Hunk rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “We were super busy helping out with the festival prep all day yesterday.”

“It starts tonight, remember?” Lance added. “That means a lot of last minute stuff. By the time you tried calling it was very early in the morning and we were already sleeping like a couple of boulders.”

“You’re more like a pile o’ pebbles, but who am I to judge?”

“What was that, Hunk?”

“Nothing!”

“Whatever. The point I’m trying to make is that we didn’t get your message until after we woke up and then booked it over here.”

“Yeah, we even skipped breakfast,” the larger man’s stomach rumbled to emphasize the fact.

“That must’ve been hard for you,” Katie empathized.

“It was, it _really_ was.”

“After you were examined, the doctors left you alone to sleep,” Shiro went on. “A few hours later they discovered your… condition.”

“What condition?” They all pointed to their own faces, the message clear. “Oh.”

“They said they’d never seen anything like it,” Colleen poked the tip of Katie’s ear, and then her hand was promptly swatted away. “Veronica thought someone had been trying to prank you, only to discover that your changes were indeed real.”

Hunk put his hand to his chin in thought. “Could the lion have had something to do with this? I recall you saying it was glowing in your message. Maybe it was radioactive? Oh gosh, could those be mutations?!”

“If it was radioactive her hair wouldn’t have grown longer, Hunk; it would’ve fallen out,” the elder Holt instructed.

“Oh yeah. Well, good to know I’m wrong then.”

The only patient in the room bit her lip, wondering how, why, and even _if_ she should tell them what really happened. Yes, they all loved and trusted her dearly, and she them, but even the closest of family would at the very least look at you weird if you told them that a lion from outer space merged with your very soul. Hell, they might even put her in the mental ward of this very hospital. What was she to do?

_You must join hands with them, and all will be revealed._

Wait, where did that-?

_Trust me._

_Voltron?_

“Pidge, you alright?”

Lance’s voice brought her back to reality where all eyes were now on her. Raising her right hand, she clenched it into a fist and decided to just go for it.

“Here,” she then presented her open palm to the four of them. “I need you all to take my hand, and then I’ll explain everything.”

Hunk eyes the appendage warily. “What will taking your hand do?”

“It’ll prove that I’m not crazy. Now, please?”

Shiro narrowed his eyes and reached out first, placing his palm atop hers, and Colleen was quick to follow suit. Lance went next, and finally, Hunk pushed through his trepidation and joined the others.

Once they were all connected, something happened.

Her eyes and facial markings blazed like beacons as the symbol of Voltron reappeared on her chest and shined just as intensely. A strong wind began blowing throughout the room, causing her hair to flail wildly in its grip.

“Um, Pidge?” Hunk fretted. “What’s going onAHHH!”

He froze, his eyes glowing yellow.

“Hunk?” Lance shouted. “Are youWHOAH!”

Blue.

“Katie!” Colleen cried out. “Can you hear-?”

Green.

“Everyone, keep it togeth-!”

Purple.

And then they saw it.

Fire and Ice. Light and darkness. Creation and destruction. Space, time, life, and death all interconnected and swirling together across the endless expanse of the cosmos. And in the center of it all, a great white lion, growling as his opposite, his negative, coiled around and wrestled with him. The abomination radiated malice and anti-life, driven by a desperate need to eradicate the beast that stood between it and its goal. But the lion was resolute, baring his teeth and releasing a mighty roar of defiance that shook the very heavens.

The vision ended at that moment and the wind died down, Katie collapsing back onto her pillow while everyone else stumbled back away from the bed in various states of shock.

_Well done, Katie Holt. This is only the beginning._

“Are you guys okay?”

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” Lance blurted out.

“Could they see us?!” Hunk freaked out. “I think they saw us!”

“Guys, we’re still in a hospital,” Shiro chided. “Get ahold of yourselves.”

“Okay, I’m cool. But my point still stands!”

Katie looked over to her mother as she leaned against the bed for support. “Mom?”

“I’m alright,” she grinned nostalgically despite her dazed state. “Whoo, I haven’t had an experience like that since _I_ was in college.”

“TMI, Mom. TMI.”

“That lion,” Shiro breathed out. “That was the same one that chased us.”

“His name is Voltron. He’s a part of me now.”

“Wait, so a cosmic space lion and you are now one person?” Hunk laced his fingers together as an illustration for his own benefit. “How does that even work?”

“I don’t fully understand it myself. I just know that he chose me because he thought I was the best candidate to protect the entire universe from… something.”

Colleen hummed in thought “Could what he was fighting have been the ‘something’?”

“Yeah, just thinking about that thing makes me feel all icky,” Hunk shuddered.

“No idea. Allura didn’t have time to explain much.”

“There’s that name again,” Lance pointed out. “You mentioned this ‘Allura’ already, but what’s she got to do with all of this?”

“Oh right, she appeared to me after I passed out,” the bearer recalled, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “We only talked for a short time, but she did manage to tell me the basic gist of my new occupation.”

“Is that all she told you, hmm? I see those corners curling.”

“I’d like to know more about her as well,” her mother said.

“Mom!”

“What? You seem very fond of her.”

“I am… I-I mean yes but… you’re all taking this _extraordinarily_ well. I’m honestly surprised you don’t think I’m a little crazy.”

“I’m your mother; why shouldn’t I give you the benefit of the doubt?” the middle-aged woman then put her hands on her hips. “Also, need I remind you that it was both my good looks _and_ my open-mindedness that made me so appealing to your father?”

“Not going there, but you have a point.”

“I know better than to deny the evidence right in front of me, Katie,” Shiro admitted. “Whatever it means or where it leads, I’ll always have your back.”

“Me too,” Hunk promised. “It’s a bit weird and freaky, sure, but figuring out stuff like this is what we do. Team Punk all the way.”

“Seems legit to me,” Lance shrugged.

“How about this?” The Samoan Chef procured a small notepad and pen from one of his vest’s pockets and a small black pouch from another. “Why don’t we discuss it over Monsters and Mana? Y’all remember your stats, right?”

“Hell yeah,” Lance boasted.

“Can I play too?” Shiro requested. “I’ve got no plans ‘til tonight.”

“Sure,” Katie permitted. “C’mon over and I’ll help you make your character.”

“You kids have fun,” the oldest of the bunch encouraged as he made for the door. “I’m going to go see if I can get us something to eat at the food court.”

Hunk’s eyes sparkled and his mouth watered. “Can you please grab me a sriracha chicken wrap, Mrs. H?”

“For breakfast? Okay then; chicken wraps all around.”

Everyone bid her thanks as she departed, and after Shiro sat down on the chair Colleen once occupied, Katie handed him the notepad and began the process of helping create his M&M persona.

“So, Pidge, what do you think of your new look?” her Cuban friend brought up as Hunk handed him a set of dice.

“It’s… fine, I guess,” she said as she dumped her own green set of dice onto her lap. “Although I’ll admit that I’m more interested in the biological changes than the cosmetic.”

“Look on the bright side,” Hunk said. “At least you’ll save a lot of time and money on makeup for your costume tonight.”

“Yeah,” Lance agreed, waggling his eyebrows. “And who knows? You might get a few looks from the hot space babes that are sure to be there.”

“But not Allura,” the young genius lamented before realizing what she said.

“You really do have a connection with her, don’t you?” Shiro sympathized.

“I do.”

“Why don’t you tell us about her then?” Lance suggested. “I can see you got it _bad_ for your dream girl, what with you _longing_ for her presence.”

Katie had to give him credit; Lance’s ability to pick up on the subtle and not-so-subtle signs of attraction between other individuals and accurately point them out earned him the nickname “Sharpshooter” for a reason. Doubly so in her case, considering she’d only ever been attracted to one other person in her life, but that instance paled in comparison to what she was feeling for the Altean woman right now.

“Well, for starters she is very, _very_ beautiful,” she started. “White hair, dark skin, colorful eyes, and she has markings on her face like these.”

“And tall, I’m guessing?”

“Aren’t they all?” she deadpanned.

“What do those marks mean, exactly?” Hunk questioned.

“I think it has something to do with where she’s from, someplace called ‘Altea’.”

“Can’t say that rings any bells,” Shiro stated as he inspected the black twenty-sided die held in his fingertips.

The romantic of the group continued with his questions. “What about her personality? Was she whimsical? Mysterious? Charming, perhaps?”

“Charming, yes,” she confirmed, hugging herself as a blush formed on her face from the memory. “But also gentle, compassionate, patient, and intuitive.”

“All that from one meeting,” Hunk observed. “Makes me wonder if I’ll ever be that lucky.”

“Your time will come, big guy,” Sharpshooter consoled his pal. “Not as soon as mine, but still.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Suddenly, the door opened again and in walked Colleen with a paper bag in each hand. “Who’s hungry?”

“Hunk is!” three out of the four declared.

“I amOH COME ON!”

Everyone laughed as Colleen handed each of them a chicken wrap. Katie peeled off the paper wrapping of hers and bit a chunk out of it, humming in delight as she watched Hunk scarf his down as quick as he could.

 _Hunk’s right_ , she thought as she took another bite. _If our first meeting impacted me that much, I wonder what our next one will be like. Will I have to be asleep for it like last time?_

“Pidge,” Lance snapped her out of her contemplation. “You ready to start?”

“Yeah,” she picked up her twenty-sided die. “Are you, Shiro?”

“Sure. Any tips or tricks I should know first?”

“As long as you don’t roll a one, you should be fine.”

“And if I do?”

“Hehe, then you’re gonna have a bad time,” Hunk chuckled darkly.

“Neat.”

As the game began and the college students prepared to cast their die, Voltron’s bearer placed her hand over her heart, memories of being held in the Altean’s arms and feeling her hand upon her cheek creating butterflies in her belly.

_Thank you for being there for me, Allura._

(X)

**Altea, Royal Palace…**

Princess Allura nearly dropped her spoon full of green nutrient custard when the unexpected surge of energy coursed through her body. Several images flashed in her mind of four individuals, three men and one woman, each of their souls alight with a portion of Voltron’s power represented by a unique color tied to each of them. Her connection with her Kindred also left an imprint that told her these people were who Katie trusted most in her life, her closest friends and family she loved dearly.

“Allura, are you alright?” Alfor asked her from his spot at the head of the dining room table.

“It’s Katie,” she replied as the mice ignored their morsels and gazed up at her with concern.

“Has something happened to her?” Coran dithered, equally as concerned as his husband was.

“She has just chosen four out of her five Paladins at the same time!” she cheered, but when her parents’ worried looks remained, she frowned. “What’s the matter?”

“That seems… alarmingly fast,” Melenor said.

“I beg your pardon, Mother?”

The queen turned to Alfor and placed her hand over his. Understanding her intent, he laced his fingers with hers before taking up the reigns of the conversation again.

“What she means is that the selection process for the Voltron Paladins has never occurred so quickly before,” he explained. “If history is to be believed, it normally takes much more time than this for them to be selected.”

“That’s true,” Coran chimed in as he twirled his mustache. “I remember it taking Thace almost an entire deca-phoeb to trust and respect Klaizap enough to make him his Red Paladin, and it was the same story with the others of his time.”

Allura, now deep in thought, looked down at her food as she concentrated. “Voltron does not make mistakes with those he chooses to bond with.”

“We know, dear,” her mother consoled. “We’re sorry if we insinuated that; we were just trying to understand what would make him choose Katie in this regard…”

“Because she does not have much time to select her Paladins,” the princess’s face had become the epitome of resolve. “Whatever danger she will face must be a lot closer than we believed. We must bring her to Altea and begin her training _immediately_.”

“But the Castle of Lions hasn’t been used since you were a baby,” Coran declared. “It’s nowhere near ready to fly yet.”

“Then do what you must to ensure that it _is_ ready within three quintents,” she commanded, channeling the power of her royal blood. “Get Slav to help you if you must.”

“Slav?!”

“Allura, I understand your worry, but you must maintain control of your emotions,” Alfor calmly insisted.

“Don’t chastise her, love,” Melenor playfully nudged him in the arm. “She is merely acting as any fretting spouse would in this situation.”

“M-Mother,” Allura stuttered. “Katie and I aren’t even married yet!”

“All in due time~,” as her red-faced child stuffed her mouth with more custard, Melenor turned to address her own partners. “Coran, please go ahead and begin preparing the Castle for departure as she requested.”

“Alright,” he said. “But there’s still the issue of where exactly Earth is. There might be some old records I could look through but that could take a while.”

“Don’t bother; I’ll get Earth’s location for you.”

“Oh, well if that’s settled then, I’ll be off. Although, you owe me big for having to put up with Slav.”

“Remind me after dinner tonight,” her sultry tone and half-lidded eyes caused steam to shoot out of his ears, and only after he bolted out of the room (not before giving each of his family a kiss on the cheek) did her softer side return as she got up from her seat and gestured for her daughter to do the same. “Allura, would you come with me, please?”

She cleared her throat to try and dispel the awkwardness of seeing her parents flirt with each other. “O-Of course. See you later, Father.”

“But what am I to do with all this food?” Alfor called out to them.

“Enjoy it, of course,” his wife answered as she led Allura out of the dining room. “You wouldn’t want to upset the chefs, now would you?”

King Alfor beheld the small feast set before him, wondering exactly where he should start before the mice all gathered around his plate. “Would you four mind helping me with this?”

They all nodded before each of them dived into a bowl or plate like they were small swimming pools and dug in. Shrugging, Alfor bit down on his forkful of Arusian vegetables and let out a satisfied hum of delight.

Elsewhere in the palace, Melenor and Allura were walking side-by-side towards the former’s bedroom, but the latter’s face had been downcast the entire time up until now. An aura of anxiety radiated off the younger royal in waves, making the queen feel more and more tense with every step.

“How are you feeling, my darling?”

“I-I feel…”

Melenor stopped and then used her fingers to gently direct her daughter’s attention to her. “Take your time.”

The princess blinked and then inhaled as deep as she could. After releasing her breath, she held out her hands for her mother to take and then focused on them once they were joined.

“All I have ever wanted in my life was to be soulbound to another like you, Father, and Papa are with each other, like all the previous Defenders were with their Kindred Ones, and now I do. I’m so happy to know that Katie and I are fated for each other, but…”

She tightened her grip, Melenor waiting in patient silence for her to continue.

“When Papa mentioned Thace, I became scared. I do not want history to repeat itself; I want to know Katie intimately, to hold, love and cherish her for the rest of our lives. So even though we are currently separate from each other, I will do everything in my power to ensure her protection until she is safe in my arms.”

“I’m glad to hear that, my child,” Melenor commended. “Your feelings for her are already strong; use them to keep yourself focused in the days ahead.”

“I will.”

“Good. Now, speaking of you two being separate, allow me to help you close the gap.”

The Matriarch opened the door directly next to them and entered her bedchambers, her daughter keeping pace as she sat down on her mattress and then began rummaging through a drawer on the bedside table. Allura heard a small “click” sound before Melenor retracted her hand, which now held a small silver object with a purple-blue light in the center.

Allura recognized the design instantly. “Is that...?”

"A communications device, one that gives me a direct line to the Leader of the Blade of Marmora.”

“Krolia? She knows the location of Earth?”

“Yes, because she’s been there once before, but I’ll warn you that it is a very touchy subject for her. Now, please sit.”

Allura did as instructed, and once she was in place her mother pressed her thumb down on the button. The device then projected a small holographic screen just above her palm, the Blade’s symbol flashing on it a few times before a woman’s face appeared. Her lavender skin and pointed ears made her easily identifiable as Galra, but it was her uniquely purple, white, and yellow eyes in addition to her two-toned dark-blue/mauve hair and darker violet markings running down her cheeks that both women recognized.

“Hello, Krolia.”

“Long time no see, Melenor,” the Galran replied. “How are you faring, these days?”

“Quite well, thank you for asking. And yourself?”

“The same. We just returned from slaying the last of Haggar’s surviving druids yesterday. It was a hard fought battle, but we pulled through; the Witch’s slaves are no more.”

“Excellent news, but in that regard, I have some news of my own,” she leaned to the side so that Allura could be included in the transmission. “Allura here just discovered that she is the Kindred One of the newest Defender of the Universe.”

“Voltron has returned?” Krolia guessed correctly. “Congratulations then, Princess; that is some news indeed.”

“Thank you, Madam Krolia,” Allura bowed in respect. “But that is why we contacted you, for you see, I know the name of her homeworld, but not the location.”

“And you believe I do?” Krolia raised an eyebrow. “Could you not simply comb through your navigational records?”

“Normally we would,” Melenor explained. “But this is a special case, one where time is of the essence, I’m afraid.”

“Hmm, alright then. What is the name of her planet?”

Allura glanced at her mother expectantly, eager for her to pass on the information. The queen knew this and decided to oblige, turning back to the Blade of Marmora’s leader with the most neutral expression she could muster.

“Earth.”

Krolia’s eyes became as wide as saucers, Allura waiting for her reply with bated breath.

“I see,” she finally said.

“Krolia, I’m so sorry if this makes you uncomfortable,” the Altean queen apologized. “I know what you lost and I’d hate to reopen that wound.”

“It’s fine,” Krolia coughed. “Somehow I knew this would happen sooner or later. I’ll transfer the coordinates to you now.”

“And I will send you the data regarding Katie Holt’s physical description my daughter provided,” Melenor took a moment pressed several holo-keys rather quickly. “Four of her five paladins have also been chosen. It’s all the information we have, I’m afraid.”

“It will be more than enough,” the Galran assured.

“What will you do?” Allura requested of her.

“Two of my best agents will accompany me to Earth. The three of us will watch over the Bearer until you arrive to take her back to Altea. No harm will come to her, Princess; I will see to it personally.”

“Thank you so much, Madam Krolia,” the younger Altean beamed. “I won’t forget this.”

“Just ‘Krolia’ is fine, but I must be off now. Farewell.”

The transmission ended, and only then did Allura start breathing again. Knowing that Katie would be taken care of by some of the finest and most discreet warriors in the universe lifted a tremendous weight off her shoulders. It really was a blessing that her family was connected to so many incredible individuals.

_Thank you for being there for me, Allura._

The voice of her Kindred speaking in her mind could not have been timed more perfectly and made her heart feel like it could leap out of her ribcage. Placing her hand over the right side of her chest, she closed her eyes and gave her reply with a happy smile.

_Always, my Katie._

“Allura? She’s speaking to you, isn’t she?”

“She is, and thank you too, Mother, for going out of your way for me,” a twinge of apprehension pricked her before continuing. “Although I’ll admit to being curious, but what exactly did Krolia lose on Earth, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Melenor peered down at the inactive device and closed her hand around it. “The only man she ever loved.”

(X)

**Blade of Marmora Headquarters…**

Within the barracks of the station were two of the Order’s most renowned and skilled members. One was a young man with ebony-hair, light skin, and a purple mark on his right cheek very similar to his mother’s that signified his status as a Half-Galra hybrid. On the other side of the room was another hybrid, his adopted sister, a woman featuring light-blue skin, dark-blue hair and four short black horns protruding from her scalp. Both individuals were garbed in their casual clothes (black shirt and pants) as they performed their usual early morning routines while waiting for their next mission.

As the Right and Left Hands of Marmora, they always had to be ready for anything.

BEEPBEEPBEEP

The large blue canine laying on the man’s bed snapped to attention, knowing full well what that noise indicated. While the woman across from him continued her exercises, he set his weapon down and then grabbed the communicator underneath his pillow.

“Go ahead, Mom.”

_“Keith, I have a new assignment for you and Acxa.”_

“What’s our objective?”

_“… It would be better if I told you two in person. I want both of you to meet me in the command center in five doboshes.”_

“Understood,” he switched the device off and set it aside. “You get all that?”

“I did,” Acxa replied, now balancing herself on one hand as she planted her feet and then rose to her full height. “Including the part where she hesitated. What do you think it means?”

“Let’s go find out,” a whine to his left directed his attention to his ever-loyal furry friend. “Yes, you can come to.”

As Kosmo licked her brother’s face in gratitude, Acxa felt something warm rub against her leg. Grinning, she knelt down far enough for the little black feline to jump onto her shoulder and curl around her neck.

“Reowr?”

“I couldn’t leave you behind, Kova,” she said whilst scratching him on the orange streak in-between his blue ears to elicit a purr from him.

Keith activated the holo-wall in between their bunks for privacy’s sake so they could strip down and then don their uniforms, and once they were finished changing, some their own comrades gave them a _very_ wide berth as they walked on by. Their respective animal companions accompanied them through the metal and stone-lined hallways, and then all four entered the central chamber together upon arrival. The Hands saw their mother standing at the command console on the far side, numerous screens depicting status updates on display.

“Keith, Acxa, thank you for coming on such short notice,” she said while keeping her back to them.

“Is something the matter, Mother?” Acxa asked.

“We noticed something was up with how you spoke over the comm,” Keith followed up. “Does it have to do with the mission?”

“Yes, it does,” Krolia confessed as she shut the monitors off. “Keith, how much do you remember of Earth?”

Keith’s eyes narrowed as he dug deep into his memories to find an answer. “Not a lot. I remember Dad, Shiro, getting into fights with other kids, and… the night Dad died mainly.”

“Do you also remember what I told you the day we first met?”

“Yes; you promised that you would take me back to Earth one day. Why?”

Krolia exhaled loudly before at last turning to look at him, and the sadness in her eyes revealed the answer to both him and his sister before she even spoke.

“Because that day is _today_.”

Acxa studied her brother as he stood there speechless, his body and mind simultaneously locking up. In the past, he never brought up the planet on which he was born unless someone else prodded him about it, and even then he only ever gave minor details, even to her. She got the impression that he didn’t much care about it, but now, that assumption was being called into question thanks to his reaction.

“Keith?” she said to try and snap him out of it.

“I-I’m fine, just a little… surprised.”

“I wish it were under better circumstances, my son,” Krolia rested her hand on his shoulder. “I understand if you believe this is unfair...”

“No, it’s not unfair. If Earth is where our mission takes us, then who am I to complain?”

Both women were glad to see him acting so mature, despite how obvious it was that he was doing his best to keep his emotions in check. Kosmo was aware too and licked Keith’s hand in a reassuring gesture, earning the canine a scratch upon the head in thanks.

“Who or what exactly awaits us on Earth?” Acxa inquired.

Krolia was all business once again. “The New Bearer of Voltron, that’s who.”

“Voltron?” The siblings gasped.

“Yes, the same entity that bonded with Thace and granted him the power to completely dismantle the Galra Empire.”

“So the newest Defender is a human?” Keith wondered aloud, shocked at the prospect.

“According to the information provided by Queen Melenor herself. Her daughter is the chosen Kindred of the Defender.”

“The princess?” Acxa tilted her head in thought, her cheek brushing Kova’s fur. “How thought-provoking.”

“That’s all you have to say on that?”

Keith’s query compelled his sister to shoot him a glare in response. “For now.”

The Leader of the Blades then fished two data chips from her pocket and presented them to her children. “This is all the information we have. The human we are looking for is a young woman named Katie Holt, but also be on the lookout for any of her paladins. The three of us will locate and observe her until Princess Allura arrives to retrieve her. We do not know her exact location, but if we bring Kosmo and Kova, their ability to sniff out large sources of quintessence will make our search a lot easier.”

“We? Are you sure you want to come with us?”

“I made you a promise, Keith. End of story.”

The brother and sister duo nodded and each took one of the chips, sliding them into their wrist-mounted computers. Kosmo barked happily now that he knew he’d be accompanying his two-legged packmates on their latest venture. Kova, on the other paw, just yawned passively; at the very least he wouldn’t be bored later if he came along too.

With the information downloaded, Acxa was ready to get this show on the road. “When do we depart for Earth’s solar system?”

“In one varga,” Krolia straightened her posture. “Gather what supplies you’ll need and then meet me in hangar bay two. Dismissed.”

The Right and Left Hands bowed before turning around and heading back out the way they came in. But before the door shut behind them, Keith caught a glimpse of his mother rubbing her eyes out of what could only be mental and emotional stress. And the damndest thing was that Acxa caught him doing the exact same thing as they made their way towards requisitions.

“Keith?”

“I’m fine,” he responded quietly. “Just thinking about things.”

“What things?”

“… Earth. Growing up there with Dad was great, but after he died, I didn’t really have much left to care about. I guess I never really missed what little I _did_ have until now.”

“Such as?”

“… The closest thing I ever had to a brother.”

(X)

**Earth, Plaht City, Kogane Residence, Ten Years Ago…**

“Hey Keith, you hungry?” Shiro asked the boy sitting on the couch. “I just ordered us some Fast Freddy’s; they’ll be here in a few minutes."

“Okay,” the thirteen-year-old murmured half-heartedly, still staring down at the wooden box in his lap as he had been for the last hour.

His eighteen-year-old friend crossed the living room and sat down next to him. “Your dad gave that to you, right?”

“Yeah. He told me it would help me find my Mom and to only open it when... if something happened to him.”

“Then why haven’t you?”

“Because,” Keith choked, his eyes and nose stinging. “I don’t know if I’m ready yet.”

“Keith,” adopting his “big brother” voice, Shiro pulled the young lad into a one-armed hug. “I’m so sorry for what happened. Tex was a great man, a good friend, and the best firefighter this town had ever seen. No one will miss him more than you, not even me, but I know he would want you to be happy again, and maybe this is the key.”

“You think so?”

“Positive,” an idea came to him and he placed his hand upon the case. “Here, why don’t we open it together?”

“You sure?”

“Why not? If what’s inside will lead you to your mom, I’ll gladly help you get started.”

Keith wiped his face on his sleeve with a smile. “Thanks, Shiro.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Grabbing the lid each with one hand, the two friends shared a nod before flipping it open. Inside were two items that puzzled them both, so Keith reached down and grabbed one to get a closer look. It was a dagger on some kind, a piece of cloth wrapped around where the hilt and blade were attached.

“Here, let me hold that,” Shiro held out his hand for Keith to place the weapon into, and from there he removed the cloth to find a strange symbol underneath.

“You think that belonged to my Mom?” Keith asked.

“Possibly,” the teenager observed as he carefully set the dagger down on the coffee table in front of them. “Anything else?”

“Just this,” the orphan held up a small black, and circular device with a glowing light in the center. “I don’t see a note or anything. There’s nothing else here!”

“Hmm, that’s strange,” seeing the disappointed look on the boy’s face made the teen go full optimist again. “How about this? Tomorrow I’ll take these to Mr. Holt for study. Maybe there’s a clue on them we simply can’t see.”

“You mean you’ll go see him after you drop me off at the orphanage, right?”

Shiro cringed, knowing that was coming. “Yes.”

“Ugh, why do I have to go there?” Keith whined. “I don’t know any of the kids that live there! Why can’t I just stay here with you?”

“It’s the law, Keith; you’re too young to be living on your own, and I’m too young to take care of you myself among other things I’ve got going on right now. That’s just the way it is.”

“I know,” the boy slumped down in his seat. “You’re going off to college next month, the same one Adam’s going to, right?”

“Yes, but that’s not the only reason I’m going, you know that, right?”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“You little…”

Shiro grabbed the boy in an arm lock and gave him a noogie, Keith flailing his arms to try and smack his friend on the head. Both were laughing merrily, enjoying what would possibly be their last bonding moment as friends for a long, _long_ time.

“You’re gonna be okay, Keith,” Shiro promised as he hugged the boy close, and at this moment, Keith believed him wholeheartedly.

DING-DONG

“Oh, pizza’s here,” the older of the two stood up and ruffled Keith’s hair. “I’ll be right back, and don’t touch the knife.”

“Got it.”

After Shiro left the room, Keith found himself bored out of his mind, and since fiddling with the knife was now out of the question, he decided to play around with the black circle thingy. It could have easily passed for a hockey puck, even with the glowing oval shape in its center on both sides. It reminded him of those fingerprint scanners he would sometimes see in movies and TV, and that gave him an idea. Neither he nor Shiro knew what this thing was or how it worked, so why not give it a try?

Raising his thumb, he placed it against the center of the puck and pressed down on it firmly. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and he was about to retract his hand when…

“Ow.”

He yanked his hand back and discovered a tiny puncture wound with a drop of blood leaking out from his thumb. The stupid puck actually pricked him! After sucking on the wound to clean it off, he glared at the offending device which now had begun to mysteriously vibrate in his hand.

“HYBRID GENOME IDENTIFIED.”

Did this thing just talk?

“INITIATING PRIMARY PROTOCOL.”

“Sh-Shiro?”

The talking puck then jerked out of his grip and hovered above the coffee table. Keith watched in both wonder and fear as it spun in the air faster and faster and transformed into something resembling a tiny star. Then it shot downward through the table, the whole floor turned into light, and then he was suddenly overcome with the sensation of falling.

**“SHIRO!”**

“Keith,” the teenager panicked as he rushed back into the living room, the pizza guy following mainly out of curiosity. “Keith, what’s wrong?”

The room was completely empty. The coffee table, the dagger, the television set, the recliner, the couch, and even the rug had all vanished. But worst of all was the absence of a certain lonely child who had just entered his teens.

“Keith?”

A boy who lost his father only yesterday.

“Keith, where are you?”

A boy whom Shiro had never told he loved like a little brother.

**“KEITH!”**

Gone.

(X)

 **A.N** :

Just watched season 8 (loved it) and a bolt of inspiration struck me. I’m having so much fun writing this.


	3. Interlude 1: Mother and Son

**Unknown…**

Keith let out a grunt as his momentum stopped abruptly. He fell forward onto his hand and knees and then puked up his lunch onto the cold floor. Heaving desperately as he blinked the spots out of his vision, he lifted his head and discovered that he was now in a large metal room, the floor so clean and polished that he could see his reflection in it. Strewn all around him was the living room furniture, half of it laying on its side and the other completely upside down.

Then it hit him; while he was still in his living room (technically), the living room was no longer in his house. But worst of all, he was alone with no Dad, no Shiro, no anybody, and it was all because of that puck, which was now lying a few feet away. Wiping his mouth with a scowl, he picked up the device and shouted at it.

"Where am I? Where did you take me?!"

It didn't respond, so he angrily threw the device across the room, the sound of it bouncing off the wall echoing throughout the chamber.

_Don't lose control. Remember what Shiro always said; "patience yields focus."_

Recalling the words of his surrogate brother helped him to steady his emotions and try to work out some sort of plan. He was all alone in an unfamiliar place, so his first priority should be to get his bearings, just like Dad taught him whenever they would go on nature hikes together. Having an equipment pack would certainly be useful in this situation, but all he had on his person right now were the clothes on his back, a bunch of heavy furniture, that stupid puck and…

_The knife, I could use that! Where did it go?_

He couldn't see it around him, so he ran over to the couch (which was still upright) and started removing the cushions to look underneath, but apart from some loose change, his search turned up fruitless. Maybe it was over by the recliner, or under the-

"Ruff!"

"Huh?"

Peeking over the back of the couch, he saw the last thing he expected to find. It was a puppy with blue fur, and it sat on its rump with its tail wagging behind it excitedly, and held in its mouth was the knife like it wanted to play a game of fetch with it.

"Why don't you give that here?" Keith reached down as far as he could to receive the blade, but the puppy instead bolted away with the blade still in its small jaws. "Hey!"

That knife was the only thing he had left tied to his mother; he had to get it back. So he chased the canine all around the room, climbing over the couch, running around the recliner, leaping over the TV, and taking special care to avoid the puddle of vomit. But no matter how close he got to the dang mutt it evaded him at every turn, almost like it was disappearing and reappearing at will, but still the boy persisted in his pursuit. At the end of their chase minutes later, the pup bounded over the couch. Keith followed its lead, only to trip and knock the whole thing over, sending him rolling. Growling as he pushed himself up to a seating position, he made ready to keep this "game" of theirs going but froze when he saw a woman leaning down to retrieve the dagger from the puppy's mouth, who handed it over with a happy bark.

As she rose to her full height, Keith felt something very familiar about her but didn't want to get his hopes up quite yet. He could tell that she was easily the tallest person he had ever seen, even taller than Dad and Shiro, but what really got his attention was her purple skin and hair, making her appear almost… alien. She pat the puppy on its head, and after it literally teleported behind her in a flash of blue sparkly light, she looked to the boy with her mostly-yellow eyes and smiled.

"Hello, Keith," she spoke softly, which did little to soothe his nerves, unfortunately.

He scrambled to his feet and leveled a glare at her, but she was unperturbed by his attempt to look intimidating. In fact, she seemed almost impressed by it.

"How do you know my name?" he demanded.

"Because… I am your mother."

BA-DUM

"Wh-What?" his legs felt like jelly as he struggled to not stumble over. "Y-You're my…"

"Yes. My name is Krolia, and I've been waiting many years to see you again."

She sheathed the dagger in her belt and then took a few steps towards him, the puppy keeping pace at her heel. She appeared even taller now that she was closer to him, but Keith stood his ground even as she stopped a few feet away a knelt down once again.

"You probably have many questions," she said. “But if you would please answer one of mine first."

She looked to her right and he followed her gaze to the puck now lying at the base of the wall. Huh, he almost forgot it was there. As for Krolia, Keith was surprised at how sad she seemed, but he withheld himself from responding in any way until he was certain it would not come back to bite him.

"That device was only meant to be used under one circumstance," Krolia turned back to address him more directly. "So please, tell me Keith; what happened to him?"

The boy clenched his fists to the point of trembling, but an instinctual feeling to trust her broke through his resistance to answer this woman's query truthfully, and that irritated him to no end.

"There was a house fire," he murmured. "He didn't get out in time."

"Did he manage to save those who were in danger?"

"… Yeah."

"Thank you; I'm glad to hear that," she smirked again. "Now, is there anything you wish to ask me?"

Something told him she was already aware of what he wanted to know, and now that the opportunity presented itself, he seized it for all it would be worth.

"Why did you leave?" he asked, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Did your father not tell you?"

"I want to hear it from  _you_ ," he practically snarled.

She released a deep sigh before giving her answer. "I had to in order to protect you."

"From what?"

"I have many,  _many_  enemies, Keith, all of whom want nothing more than to kill me and everyone I hold dear. The only way I could keep you two safe from them was by seeking them out and striking them down first."

"So you left because you didn't think we could take care of ourselves?" Keith fired back.

"No, that's not…"

"Then what about the dagger, or the scanner thing that brought me here, wherever this is? If you were so confident in us, then how do you explain those?"

"I had to leave you with something…"

"Oh, you left me with something, alright," he thundered as he pointed to the purple birthmark on his cheek. "You left me with a mark that made other kids think I was a freak and call me names! You left me wondering when Mom was coming home each and every night, or if you even cared!"

Krolia visibly recoiled at his accusation, her composure starting to falter. "Of course I cared, Keith. I always have and always will, but I needed to-."

"Leave us 'for our own protection', yeah, I heard you the first time! Well gee, thanks a lot,  _'Mom'_ , I'm sure Dad appreciates it now that he's  **DEAD**!"

His roar reverberated throughout the chamber, making the puppy whimper and teleport a few feet back from the angry teenager. Krolia remained still as she gazed at him with wide, shimmering eyes; she had probably waited to hear him call her that for a long while, only for him to do so out of bitterness rather than love.

Keith's hands were shaking with pent up fury. He closed them to try and regain some control, but that's when he saw his reflection on the floor again and gasped. The whites in his eyes were now yellow and his pupil's had shrunk to cat-like slits, not to mention his teeth now bore fangs. But what really got him was the rivers of tears streaming down his cheeks and dripping down to obstruct the image. He did his best to end the waterworks, but they wouldn't stop even after his strange features returned to normal.

_What's happening to me?_

He barely registered that Krolia had closed the distance between them until she wrapped her long arms around his comparatively tiny frame and pulled him close, holding him as a loving parent should.

"It's okay," she whispered. "You don't have to hold back. Let it out."

Keith buried his face in her chest and did his best to form words as he began to cry harder. "I-I'm s-sorry…"

"For what?"

"F-For getting angry," he sniffed. "Dad t-told me to not be m-mad at you for leaving, and I promised I wouldn't, so why do I feel this way?!"

"You have nothing to apologize for," she tilted his chin up with her finger and then gently brushed her knuckle along his mark. "I miss him too, Keith; I've missed you both terribly ever since I left Earth, and it hurts so much to be apart from those you love, both in life… and death. If I could trade the last thirteen years for just one moment where the three of us could all be together again I would do so in a heartbeat."

She gave him a look that bordered on pleading. It was honestly jarring to see, so much so that he couldn't help but remain quiet as she continued speaking.

"But please believe me when say that I have  _always_  loved you, and I never stopped loving you even while I was away for so long. All I have ever wanted was to be your mother and I am so,  _so_  sorry I did not come back to you sooner. Can you ever forgive me?"

He blinked once before reaching up to touch her two marks, slowly running his fingertips across them. They were very similar to the one he had, except hers extended all the down to the back of her neck while his own stopped at his jawline. Her visage nearly took up his entire field of vision as he studied her more closely, looking for any sort of fault or deception she may have been trying to hide from him… and found none.

That box did its job better than he hoped.

This… this was his mother. It didn't matter to him anymore that she was absent from his life until now. She was here! He was touching her! He wasn't alone! He still had a family!

"M-Mom," he choked out before throwing his arms around her neck and wailing. "MOM!"

"My son," her voice wobbled as she returned the embrace without hesitation. "I left you once; I will  _never_  leave you again!"

The walls around their hearts broke down, raw emotion bursting forth and overtaking them like a flood. They cried in grief for the passing of their loved one but also wept in joy over being brought together again. This went on for quite some time (they didn't know nor care how long) until the puppy got tired of being left out and decided to join in by suddenly blinking into existence between them, breaking their embrace.

"RUFF!"

If Keith was annoyed, he never got the chance to show it as he found his face being assaulted by the mutt's slobbery tongue. "Cut it out!"

"I think he likes you," Krolia laughed, watching with fondness as her son held the pup at bay with one hand and wiped his face clean with the other.

"A little too much," when the canine relented, Keith took a moment to reassess his surroundings. "So this place isn't Earth?"

"Ah, you caught that, but yes. This is the headquarters of my order, and it's about as far from the Milky Way as you can get."

"You're not… human?"

"No; I'm Galra."

He eyed his reflection on the floor again. "Then… what am I?"

He next felt her surprisingly soft hands cradle his face, followed by her planting a kiss on his forehead. "You are my son, and you are home now."

"Home," he repeated, turning back to look at the pile of furniture, thinking back to his previous residence.

Krolia followed his line of sight and understood. "Do you want to go back?"

Keith thought for a moment… and decided against it. "No, I want to stay here."

"One day I will take you back to Earth; it's the least I could do in honor of the world that gave me you."

"Okay. But what happens now?"

She said nothing at first, instead choosing to poke him on the nose, making his face scrunch up adorably. "Now, we get you something to eat."

"But I'm not…"

RRRRRRR

He brought his hands to his stomach and fought to suppress his blush. Krolia merely raised an amused eyebrow at him, while the puppy snorted in a way that sounded almost like laughter.

"Okoye, M'Baku," the alien woman then called out over her shoulder.

A section of the wall behind her slid downward to allow entry for two individuals wearing slim, but high-tech body suits, each with a sword strapped to their back. The one on the left was short and curvy, but the other was almost twice her height and bore three times as much muscle. Their faces were obscured by the masks they wore under their hoods, and judging by the number of glowing eyes they had, or lack thereof, neither of them were human either.

"Spread the word that I will be taking leave from my duties for the next seven quintents," she instructed them. "Distribute my former tasks accordingly among the other Lieutenants."

"For what purpose, if I may ask, Ma'am?" the smaller one inquired in a woman's voice.

Krolia moved aside so Keith would be visible to the pair of warriors. "So I can get reacquainted with my son, and mourn the passing of his father with him."

The second he was in view, the two sentries cast their concealed gazes upon the young hybrid, boring into him. His unblinking stare was the only reply he gave, and that seemed to satisfy them for the time being.

"Oh, and send the custodians to clean up all this decorum and the… spill.”

"It will be done, High Leader," the bulkier one bowed, as did his companion prior to them leaving the room.

Krolia then put forth her hand for her son to take, and once he did she began leading him in the direction of the exit. The light pattering of paws drew his attention back to the puppy now following close behind them, but then he noticed the furniture again, the last physical remnants of his old home apart from the clothes on his back. He also had his memories, like all the times Dad and Shiri would watch Kung-Fu movies with him on the now broken television set, but now it was time to start making new ones. He didn't know how long it would be until he was happy again, but he would try.

"Goodbye, Dad," he muttered. "Goodbye, Shiro."

"Who's Shiro?" his mother asked.

"I'll… tell you later."

"Alright then."

From there, he allowed her to guide him through the door and into the next chapter of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was going to be the first scene of chapter three, but with how long it was getting I decided against it and made this instead. What do you think?
> 
> Also, I made a little change in chapter one regarding Shiro’s hair. It’s all black now with no white floof. There’s a story-based reason for why.


	4. The Galaxy Festival

**Earth, Plaht City Town Square…**

"YOU HAD  **ONE**  JOB, HUNK!"

“I'm sorry, guys, okay?" Hunk apologized to seemingly no avail. "I didn't mean to get the sizes wrong. I was working on a new recipe for butterscotch oatmeal cookies while placing the order in."

"It doesn't change the fact that you ruined our setup," Lance gestured to the sleek blue and black shirt he wore while glaring balefully at Hunk's yellow version. "I'm supposed to be the captain, not you!"

"And why is mine green?" Katie inquired, tugging the fabric of her own slim-fitting attire.

The heavy-set chef twiddled his thumbs sheepishly. "It was a promotional deal that saved me a few bucks on the order."

Katie and Lance looked about ready to strangle him with his headband, but then Shiro posed a question about his own costume he wore under his vest that identified him as volunteer security.

"What does red signify?"

All three of them froze like a deer caught in the headlights, sweat pouring from their brows as they tried to come up with an answer.

"It's… popular," Lance said at long last.

"Popular?" Shiro questioned.

"Yeah. The redshirt is always worn by the most memorable character. It's changed hands several times, but he who bears it will never be forgotten by neither the characters nor the fans."

The other two cosplayers in the team nodded frantically, so he just accepted it as is with a shrug. "Okay then."

"Hey guys," another voice called out, drawing their attention towards two college-age ladies advancing toward their merry band.

"Nadia, Ina," Katie waved. "You made it!"

"Yeah, sorry we're late," Nadia panted. "We were busy getting a head start on our projects for after break. Didn't have time to put on our costumes."

"I still did," Ina clarified dryly.

"But… those look like your regular clothes," Hunk took note of her blue button up and burgundy pants.

"I'm that one civilian in every sci-fi movie that inevitably gets killed while trying to flee whatever's attacking or invading."

"Huh. Simple, yet effective."

The dark-skinned woman put her hands on her hips and pointed to Katie with her thumb. "Well, we can't all be like Little Miss Space Elf here. Seriously, girl, who did your makeup? That ponytail is legit, those ears look real, and you're actually wearing contacts for once! You've never looked hotter!"

Ina then bent over to inspect the small brunette more closely. "This new look  _does_  increase your sexual attractiveness exponentially. Had you any experience with intercourse, I would invite to my dorm room for a copulation session after the festival's conclusion."

" **No** ," the Bearer refused in a firm and powerful tone that brokered no rebuttal, startling both herself and almost everyone present. "I-I mean… I appreciate the offer, but… uh…"

"My apologies, Pidge," the impassive blonde leaned back. "I was merely exploring a possibility."

"No, no, it's fine, it's just… I'm…"

"Taken," Hunk blurted out. "She's… taken."

"Taken?" Nadia repeated. "Is he saying what I  _think_  he's saying, Pidge?"

Katie looked to the left, then to the right, and then back to her classmate. "Ummm… yeah."

Now it was Nadia's turn to invade her personal space, her eyes sparkling with glee. "What's her name?"

"A-Allura…"

"Is she here? What's she look like? How long have you been seeing her? Details, Pidge; I need details!"

She racked her brain to try and come up with an explanation that didn't sound totally bonkers, considering neither Nadia nor Ina was aware of what transpired yesterday. Thankfully, Lance was there with his legendary powers to provide some much-needed assistance.

"Easy there, Nad," he butted in. "This is Pidge's first real relationship, a long-distance one at that; it'd be best not to pressure her too much."

The spectacled girl considered his words before shrugging. "Fair enough."

"But I  _will_  tell you this," he motioned for her to lean close so he could whisper in her ear. "They're practically soulmates already. I'm talkin' two halves of a whole level stuff."

"Really?" Nadia saw Katie blush profusely at Lance's proclamation, confirming it through her body language alone. "Is that your professional opinion, Sharpshooter?"

"It never isn't," the romantic grinned triumphantly

"Wait a minute," Katie chimed in. "Where's Ryan?"

"Hey, yeah," Hunk chimed in. "Is he running late, or something?"

Any confidence Nadia had vanished in an instant. "W-Well, about that… hehe… you see…"

"They broke up," Ina revealed matter-of-factly, to which her roommate attempted to set her on fire with her mind in retaliation.

"WHAT?!" Lance shouted. "Seriously?!"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"But… But you guys were so great together," Hunk rambled. "You made so many short films we loved to watch!"

"I know," her posture slumped. "I tried really hard but I just… I couldn't fully commit. He was patient, understanding, and we parted on decent terms, but I still feel like shit about it all."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Nadia," Shiro consoled. "Hopefully you'll have some fun tonight and feel a little better."

That brought her smile back, even if it was a sad one. "Thanks, guys."

Katie couldn't explain it, but for a split second, she thought she saw a black spot within Nadia, an empty space that she couldn't find an explanation for. But the moment was fleeting, and after a loud, electronic screech reached her ears, she blinked a few times to restore her eyesight back to normality and turned toward the source. A crowd of fellow cosplayers and regularly-dressed folk had gathered in front of a small stage set up in the middle of the square, where a bald, middle-aged man whose left eye remained forever shut stood with a microphone in hand.

"Good evening, everyone," he said, his voice amplified by the pair of speakers. "Most of you know who I am, but for those of you who are visiting, my name is Mitchel Iverson, and welcome to the 28th Annual Plaht City Galaxy Festival!"

A chorus of cheers accompanied by a round of applause went up from the crowd, while Katie and her three best friends retrieved their kazoos from their pockets and blew on them as loud as they could. Iverson watched them all fondly and waited until the noise started to die down so he could speak again.

"Good to see your excitement still hasn't worn off after all these years," he shook his head. "So much has happened in that time, hasn't it? This started as a little get-together for us grown-up nerds to discuss the wonders of the cosmos together while our kids played space explorers nearby…"

While the crowd laughed, Katie fist-bumped Lance, who then passed it on to Hunk, and then to Shiro, all without taking their eyes off the stage. She did the same thing with Nadia, only for Ina to not respond once her turn came to receive it, irritating her roommate.

"But there was one among us who was a cut above the rest, a man who believed that nobody should ever miss out on a chance to do something great. He was an inspiration to us all, and his example drew quite a crowd that became the foundation for this little shindig…"

A stinging sensation manifested behind her eyes, and that's when she felt her Cuban comrade set his hand on her shoulder to help calm her down. Even Iverson himself was struggling to maintain his composure, but he pushed on.

"Sam Holt, his son Matt, and Adam Shirogane were the bravest of us. They wanted to journey farther than anyone ever has to see what the universe had to offer firsthand, and in a way, they succeeded before their quest was tragically cut short…"

The young bearer looked over to a quietly whimpering Shiro, and like with Nadia, there was a brief instance where she saw some kind of void inside him enveloping his heart. Making a mental note about it for later, she moved to wrap her arms around his middle, squeezing tightly. He returned the embrace and held it even as the one-eyed ex-soldier wrapped things up.

"Since then, this festival has been dedicated to honoring their memory and the work they put into helping the people of this community reach their full potential. So let's do them proud tonight! Have fun, be an encouragement to one another, and never forget how much they loved you all! Whaddya say?"

The crowd whooped and cheered so loud you could have heard them from the next county over before they started to disperse. Katie and Shiro held on for a little longer and then they pulled back, giving each other a watery, but grateful smile.

"You guys have fun," he said as he wiped his eyes. "I have to go start my rounds."

"Yeah," Katie sniffed. "See ya later."

As Shiro walked away from the group, Hunk rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I'm gonna go check up on my moms and see what they've cooked up in their booth."

"And I'll go check up on Veronica," Lance proclaimed. "After that, I'll be at my usual spot."

"See you at the costume contest," Katie bid.

The three high-fived and then parted ways, Hunk and Lance going off in different directions, leaving the little genius with the other two girls.

"I will go determine which costumes have the best chance of winning the contest or no chance at all from a distance," the blonde shrugged before strutting away.

That just left Katie with Nadia, the former a lesbian who recently found her significant other, the latter her bisexual classmate who just broke up with her boyfriend that very day. To say the atmosphere had become awkward would have been a tremendous understatement.

"Sooo," Nadia drawled. "Where's your mom?"

"Oh, she's taking Bae Bae for a walk. You know how energetic she gets on trips into town."

"Damn, I was hoping to show that pup some love."

"Yeah, she misses you too," Katie bit her lip. "Look, Nad, I didn't mean to…"

"I know. Just… don't worry about it, okay?"

"But…"

" _Don't_. Promise me that you won't let my issues distract you from being happy that  _you_  managed to find somebody, alright?"

"I… I promise."

"Good," the taller girl put her hands on her hips. "Now to catch up with Hunk and get some comfort food. Don't forget I still want those details, girl."

"I won't."

Nadia then strut away, and now Katie was all by herself to reflect on what was said between them. It was true; she was happy to have finally made a deep connection with another individual, but with that elation also came some personal concerns. Allura was currently so far away in a place she'd never heard of until they first met, and even if the Altean was here on Earth with her, how long would that last? She had already lost two of the most important people in her life to unfortunate circumstances in the past, so was there a chance Allura would suffer the same fate? Would this… thing they had going on really work out between them? Would Allura be really there for her no matter what, to bear her burdens like she said she was going to?

_Always, my Katie._

"Allura?" her head swiveled left and right looking for any sign of the princess, until she realized that her chest now felt very warm, soothing her from the inside out. "Is… that you?"

She could feel it; another presence simultaneously close and far. It was a unique sensation, one that filled her with comfort and reassurance, and she reveled in it.

"You're here, aren't you?" placing her hand over her heart, she closed her eyes and envisioned Allura's divine smile, her twinkling eyes, the shimmering strands of her silver hair, and the feeling of being held in her arms, a feeling she longed for immeasurably and then some. "I can't wait to meet you face-to-face."

She didn't know how or when, but she would make it happen; she knew it to be inevitable, the explanation as to why fucking off in the face of her certainty, but first she still had a festival to partake in. With renewed vigor and a big smile, she left her spot to join in the festivities, unaware of the hooded figure clad in a dark suit watching her from beside a nearby tree.

"Bearer located; proceeding to phase two."

(X)

**Elsewhere…**

"Acknowledged," Krolia whispered into her wrist-mounted communicator as she passed another booth, this one selling old tomes. "Maintain a respectable distance and report on anything suspicious."

" _Roger that."_

" _Are you certain that we should be out in the open like this?"_  Acxa asked from her end of the line.  _"What if we are recognized?"_

"You won't have to worry about that," the Senior Blade assured her. "Remember, Earth has yet to make contact with another advanced civilization. As far as everyone here is concerned, we are just more humans dressed up as fictitious extraterrestrials straight from our own imaginations."

" _Hiding in plain sight,"_  Keith summarized.

"Precisely."

" _That's… reassuring,"_  Acxa conceded.

"Everything will be alright, just blend in, and try to enjoy yourself. From what I remember, there should be some activities you can participate in. Why not give one a try?"

"…  _I'll see if anything appeals to my interests."_

"Very good," another stall caught her vision featuring toys that several children were very eager to play with. "Oh, and Keith? The same goes for you."

There was a long pause before she heard him sigh.  _"Sure."_

The Galran woman smiled. "Keep me posted. Over and out."

And on she walked with no particular destination in mind. A few humans (both male and female) gave her awe-struck looks and murmured words of praise regarding her appearance when they thought they were out of earshot. Krolia grinned, finding it amusing as she was literally the tallest and most imposing person around. But her trek along the cobblestone pathway was halted when she noticed a particular stand selling a certain food she hadn't seen in two decades.

And that food… was  _hot dogs_.

The sign above it read "Harold's". During the year she spent living with Tex on this planet, he had taken her and their newborn son to eat here during the first and only other time she attended this festival. She remembered carrying Keith in a pouch on her back, thus freeing up both her hands so she could shovel one hot dog after another into her mouth while her lover stared at her in surprise at her appetite.

She didn't care that they were composed of ground animal meat compressed into a phallic shape and served on a piece of bread; in fact, she found it to be a rather efficient way of ensuring that no part of whatever creatures they used to make them went to waste. And don't forget all the sauces and toppings you could put on them to enhance their flavor… she  **had**  to have one after so long.

So she approached the stand just as the server had finished wrapping a completed hot dog in metal foil to keep it warm. "Excuse me, Mister Harold?"

The man lifted his gaze to meet hers and smiled. "Nah. 'Mister' Harold was my pops; I'm Hal. I take it you're new in town, ain'tcha?"

"Um, yes. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"Don' worry about it. After he passed I inherited this stand; been in my family for three generations already, and I'll gladly keep it goin'. Now, you looking to chow down on some fine dinin', toots?"

"Yes, please."

"A'right then," he picked up the wrapped dog and held it out to her.

She licked her lips and made to grab hold of it, her fingers mere inches away. She could already taste it, and now it was so close.

"That'll be two dollars," Hal finished.

Krolia froze, her whole world crashing down in an instant. "Quiznak."

"I'm sorry?"

"Um… what I mean is…"

"It's on me," came a new voice close by.

The Galran warrior then saw a woman drawing near, and trotting alongside her was a canine. The lady herself had short, light brown hair and was garbed in a pink blouse over a white undershirt with a light blue cloth hanging off the collar in the front, plus blue pants that fit her snugly. She approached Krolia with the friendliest of smiles on her face and then spoke to the owner of the hot dog stand.

"I'll take one too, Hal; make it a coney," she said to him.

"You got it, Collie."

Krolia watched with rapt attention as Hal prepped the order. Collie generously provided the correct payment, and once both hot dogs were in her hands, she sat down on a bench in-between the food cart and another booth selling potted plants, Krolia sitting next to her while the dog made itself comfortable at its master's feet.

"Here you go," Collie held out the plain hot dog, still wrapped in foil, to her bench buddy. "On the house."

Krolia could barely contain her glee as she snatched the treat from the human's hand and tore the wrapping off. Her mouth salivated as she took a small, but delectable bite and chewed it slowly, savoring the taste and texture as long as possible before swallowing on instinct.

"So good," she moaned, only to then realize that the other woman was watching her amusedly. "Oh, thank you, Miss Collie, but I'm afraid I don't have the means to pay you back."

"It's Colleen, actually," she politely corrected. "And don't worry about it. It's my pleasure to make guests feel welcome at this event."

"You are too kind, Colleen."

"I do my best," she chuckled before taking a bite out of her coney dog. "Although, I will admit that it wasn't that hard to figure out that you weren't from around here."

"How so?"

"Well, you stand out," Colleen explained. "It might be your costume, which is excellent, by the way, or because of how tall and defined you are, but I just knew there was something different about you when I noticed you."

The Galran woman was mildly afraid that she had been identified as an offworlder but quickly dismissed it as irrational. Colleen was very perceptive, she would give her that, but there was no way she knew who and what she really was. But she would be lying if she said she wasn't already endeared to this human thanks to her charming approach to making new acquaintances.

The Senior Blade then draped her right arm over the back of the bench, her left still occupied with carrying her food. "Isn't the whole point of dressing like this to appear as alien as possible here?"

"True, in which case you would take the cake."

"What's cake?"

Both ladies giggled, and that was when the canine approached Krolia and pawed at her leg, wanting some attention for itself. Having experience with this type of animal, she proceeded to scratch it behind its perky ears, and it responded by licking her fingers gratefully.

"It looks like Bae Bae's taken a liking to you," Colleen said. "She likes meeting new people."

"My son has a companion like this; she probably smells him on me."

"Oh, you have a son?"

"And a daughter. They're here somewhere and are under strict orders to try and have fun tonight."

"What about their father?"

Krolia was about to continue eating her dinner and then stopped, lowering it into her lap. "He passed away ten years ago."

"Oh my," Colleen gasped. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

"You didn't."

"I… didn't?"

A wistful smile came to the Blade's face as she continued to pet Bae Bae. "Sometimes it hurts to think about it, but then when I remember the love we shared and the family we created from it, the sadness goes away, and all I feel in its place in gratitude for the time we had together, however short it was."

She then saw two children chasing each other in circles around their mother and father, who watched them play with proud smiles.

"To see our children grow into such incredible people has brought me no end of happiness, and I know he feels the same way."

"You understand."

Krolia noticed the other woman gazing at her with wide, unblinking eyes. "Understand what?"

The short-haired brunette craned her neck as she peered at the starry sky above. "My husband was one of the founders of this festival. He was an astronaut for the Garrison, and our son followed in his footsteps. But… four years ago… I… lost them both…"

She covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her crying while Krolia waited in respectable silence.

"Now… it's just me… my daughter…and Bae Bae," she sniffled as she dabbed her eyes clean with her collar-cloth. "I try not to let the pain get the better of me for their sake, but it's just really hard at times, especially on nights like tonight, you know?"

"I  _do_  know, Colleen," Krolia crooned as she scooted closer to her. "I honestly do."

"I'm sorry, Miss," she paused as realization struck. "I don't think I ever got your name."

"It's Krolia," the Galran took hold of the cloth with her free hand to wipe away a stray tear from the human's cheek. "And thank you for being so kind and open with me."

"You're welcome," Colleen then peeked down and saw their half-eaten hot dogs, then back up at Krolia's face which was now in close proximity to her own. "Um, we should probably finish eating, and then maybe you can tell me about your kids?"

"Sure," the Senior Blade coughed as she leaned back.

She then proceeded to scarf her morsel down rather quickly, finishing it in only one bite before swallowing loudly. Colleen gave no indication that she was in any way disgusted by her actions, merely surprised.

"I… didn't want it to grow too cold."

"It's no issue," the brunette then turned back towards Harold's. "Hal, can I get another for my big purple friend here?"

Krolia had to keep herself from laughing at her fortune; two helpings of her favorite food and a few friend all in one night?

_I need to start visiting Earth more often._

(X)

**Elsewhere Again…**

"Hey, you, the blue girl with the cat on your shoulders!"

Acxa halted mid-stride. "I'm sorry, do you mean us?"

"That's right," she paid close attention to the firearm strapped to his waist. "The name's Joshua, and I'm guessing you and you're cute little pet are first-timers here?"

"Hisss!"

She brought her hand up to scratch under her cat's chin, never taking her eyes off the human. "He is  _not_  a pet, but yes."

"Awesome. Now, would you like to play a game?"

"A game? You mean… an activity?"

"Potato patato, but yeah," he then drew the firearm from his belt, and despite her instincts urging her to grab hold of her own, she refrained and watched as he placed it upon the countertop. "All you gotta do is hit all the targets as fast as you can to win a prize, and since you're new, the first round won't cost you any tickets."

Acxa eyed the weapon curiously before switching to the targets on display in the back of the stall. There were three rows of five empty glass bottles each, all with the same caricature painted on them; a creature with a bulbous green head, large pure-black eyes, and a tiny mouth.

"What is the prize?"

"One of these little critters behind me," he stepped aside to reveal an assortment of stuffed children's toys of varying designs, colors, and sizes.

Kova stared at the selection in the same manner he would after cornering a smaller animal. "Miaow."

"You want one?" she asked him, receiving a pleading look from him he often employed when he wanted something edible. "You know you can't eat them, right?"

"Mrruh."

"Very well. We accept your challenge, Joshua."

"Alright, just aim down the sights and wait for my signal," she picked up the pistol and found it to be lighter than she expected as Joshua fiddled with some type of timekeeping device on his wrist. "Ready?"

CHIK-CHOK

"Aim… fire!"

PINGPINGPINGPINGPING

"Ten to go…"

PINGPINGPINGPINGPING

"Five… to go…"

PINGPINGPINGPINGPING

"… Holy buckets."

Fifteen yellow beads clattered on the ground as she put down the false gun. "What was my time?"

"Just a sec," he pressed a button on his timekeeper. "Wow, just under four seconds."

"Is that good enough to win a prize?"

"Yes, but, I'm just a little shocked, is all. The only other person who ever hit them all that quickly is…"

"Me," said someone directly to her right, making her turn swiftly to see another human with brown skin, hair of a darker shade, and wearing a sleek blue shirt and black pants standing beside her and Kova. "How's it going?"

How he managed to get that close without them noticing shocked her, but she kept herself from showing it. "Who are you?"

"The name's Lance," he smiled. "What's yours?"

"Acxa."

"Wow, cool name," he then reached out toward her familiar. "And who's this little guy?"

"His name is Kova, and he doesn't," Kova then allowed the human's fingers to run through the orange tuft of fur on his head, purring contently. "Like… to be… touched."

"Oh, my bad," he quipped before pulling his hand back, Kova whining that the pampering had ceased. "Sorry dude; she's your boss."

The feline growled in Acxa's direction, and she narrowed her eyes in return. "Don't give me that."

Lance pointed his thumb at the game. "So, I couldn't help but notice that you're just as good at playing this game as I am."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"Here, lemme show you," he placed a small slip of white paper on the counter. "Set me up, Josh."

The other human nodded and then quickly set all the bottles upright again before handing both the firearm and another magazine to Lance, who took them both with confidence. Loading the weapon with practiced ease, he stuck his tongue out as he aimed down the sights.

"Watch this," he pulled the trigger fifteen times, and fifteen bottles fell over in rapid succession before she could even blink. "Time?"

Joshua looked down at his timekeeper and whistled. "Same as hers, hombre, down to a T."

"That was… impressive," Acxa admitted.

"Thanks, you aren't so bad yourself," his flashed her a toothy smile, his teeth somehow glinting in the evening light. "You up for a tiebreaker?"

"Tie… breaker?" she mimicked.

"Yeah, to see which of us really is the best," he twirled the gun on his finger. "If you win, you get the prize and all of my tickets to boot. Whaddya say?"

"I appreciate the offer, Lance, but…"

"Mrrowow," Kova insisted, pointing again at the toys.

"… I accept."

Joshua immediately went to work rearranging the bottles, starting with removing one to give the competitors seven targets each. Then he spun half of them around so their blank side was showing for the purpose of distinction, and finally, he unveiled another gun from behind his person (where he was keeping it this whole time, she didn't know) and offered it to her fully loaded.

"New rules are simple," he began as he handed Lance another magazine. "First one to knock down all their targets wins the pot. You guys ready?"

CHIK-CHOK

"Ready," they both said.

"Then… go!"

The pellets flew, Acxa firing hers with the discipline of a trained warrior while Lance gave off an air of smugness, the type from someone who knew he was good at something and enjoyed showing it off. Still, she maintained her focus on the goal at hand, wondering how Kova intended to carry whatever toy he chose if they won as he knocked down one bottle after another. But Lance was keeping pace, his smirk seeming to grow with every shot that landed.

 _He's not half-bad,_  she mused.

Now they were each down to their last target, Acxa pulling the trigger to end the contest and claim victory. However, the pellet bounced off the bottle without knocking it over and she silently cursed her misfortune. Judging by the skill of her opponent, he would undoubtedly win with his next shot, as for as she was concerned.

But then another pellet whizzed by her head and hit her bottle in just the right spot to tip it over… while Lance's remained upright.

"We have a winner," Joshua announced.

"But how?" she wondered aloud, turning to watch Lance as he handed his gun back to Joshua.

"Congratulations," he said to her.

She looked back and forth between him and the final bottle, her eyes narrowing. "You let me win."

His smile never wavered. "Did I?"

"Yes, you did. You were so confident in your abilities, only to throw away your victory at the last moment. Why?"

"It was never about winning, not for me," he divulged whilst reaching into his pocket to procure a roll of tickets, which he then set down on the counter for her to take at her leisure. "It was about making sure you enjoyed yourself."

"You did it… for me?"

"Why wouldn't I want to show a beautiful girl like you a good time?"

_B-Beautiful?_

The Left Hand of Marmora was stunned, barely aware of Kova nuzzling his face against her now  _very_  warm cheek, which was now flushed violet. She couldn't remember the last time that she was treated this way by anyone, if ever, and it felt… strange, but in a pleasant sort of way.

And she rather liked it.

"Catch ya later, gorgeous; have fun," Lance held up two fingers before turning to walk off.

"Wait," she surprised herself with how desperate she sounded, but it worked in making him stop and turn back.

"Something the matter?'

"No, it's just…" she eyed the stuffed animal Joshua had placed in front of her, a small blue and white feline that Kova immediately took a liking to. "How about… two out of three?"

Why was it so hard for her to ask that, and why was she so nervous about how he would respond?

But her worries subsided when his smile came back in full force. "You're on."

Using his teeth, Kova picked up his new trinket by the neck and then carried it off to the side like it was his own young, knowing what was coming. As Lance took his previous position beside her again, Acxa masked her exhale of relief as best she could.

She would need to have a talk with her mother when their mission was over, but for now, there was more fun to be had.

"So, no more freebies from here on out, I take it?" Lance asked as he readied his pistol again.

She found herself smirking. "Let me know if you need one."

CHIK-CHOK

(X)

**Somewhere Else… where…**

"Mommy, mommy, can I pet the space dog?"

Keith sighed beneath his mask. "I'm sorry, but we're really busy right now."

"You heard him, sweetie. Say 'bye' to the doggie."

"Bye, doggie," the child waved sadly as his mother led him away, while Kosmo looked up to his partner and let out a whine.

"We can't afford to keep stopping for every person who wants to pet you or take your picture," the Right Hand of Marmora affirmed. "Now c'mon; we don't want to lose her."

They resumed their advance through the festival, Kosmo sniffing every which way while Keith zeroed in on the brown ponytail of the Bearer thirty yards ahead. When she stopped walking to inspect the wares of the nearest stall, Keith leaned back against the nearest lamppost and crossed his arms while his companion sat down beside him.

While waiting, his thoughts began to drift back to how surreal this whole situation was. He hadn't considered Earth his home any longer since the day his father died, but a small part of himself still missed it all the same. But now that he had finally returned and was currently surrounded by members of his paternal species for the first time in ten years, he found himself feeling more like an outsider than when he first joined the Blades. The people were friendly, for sure, but he chalked that up to the fact that he had a uniquely-colored canine with him to draw their attention away from himself. The fact that he was still wearing his mask was passed off as him wanting to stay in-character, whatever that meant, but he was secretly glad for their unwitting assistance in helping him remain anonymous. He couldn't afford to let himself be seen right now, especially by one in particular.

He wasn't ready.

A couple of minutes later, the Bearer was moving again, Keith waiting a few seconds before pushing himself off the pole, ready to continue his mission.

"BIG BLUE PUPPY!"

He rolled his eyes and fought the urge to groan in frustration. This was getting old really fast. So he bit his tongue and prepared to dismiss Kosmo's newest admirer as politely as he could, only for his words to vanish at the sight of her approaching form. She had light-brown skin and was garbed in a hooded shirt and shorts combo that both bore a similar pattern of green, white, and black. But then he noticed her black hair done up in a ponytail, two long locks framing the sides of her face, all made possible by a turquoise hair tie and headband combination, and something clicked.

Her honey-brown eyes shined behind her glasses as she knelt before Kosmo. "Hey there, puppy-wuppy. What's your name?"

Kosmo's response was to immediately collapse onto his back, his paws in the air as he gazed up at her expectantly.

"So that's how you want to play, huh? Okay then, if you insist."

As she proceeded to use both her hands to rub circles along the wolf's belly, Keith was at a loss. More memories of his youth had resurfaced: a girl crying over her hair getting pulled, a fight with the bullies responsible, a trip to the principal's office, and then the two of them venturing out into the desert on more than one occasion to look for something fun to do.

 _I know her,_  he realized.  _But her name… what was it again? Naomi? Natalie?_

"Who's a good boy?" she cooed, Kosmo's tail beginning to wag. "You are, yes you are!"

After shaking his head clear, Keith then coughed to get the girl's attention.

"Oh," she startled, looking up at him. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"It's fine," he murmured. "And his name is Kosmo, by the way."

"Kosmo; I like it. And what're you, some kind of space ninja, or something?"

"Um… sure."

_It's right on the tip of my tongue, I know it!_

"How did you manage to color his fur like this? I don't smell or feel any chemicals on him."

"Well," the Bearer had since vanished and he cursed himself for getting distracted for too long. "Sorry, but we really must be going now."

"You're not going anywhere," said the last person he wanted to encounter, his voice inciting panic within the prodigal half-human.

"Oh, hey Shiro," the girl piped up. "What brings you by?"

_No no no, not now!_

Not wanting to instigate anything negative, he slowly turned around and beheld his old friend. He looked almost exactly the same, just slightly taller, but he had also gained a lot more muscle. But his eyes… there was something about them that Keith almost didn't notice, something hidden behind them.

Something sad.

"I'm here on business, Nadia," Shiro answered as he leveled his hard gaze at the hooded figure between them. "And it has to do with  _him_."

_Nadia, that's it!_

But Keith remembered that look, and it made him glad that he was wearing a holo-mask.

"Is that so?" Nadia stood up, ignoring Kosmo's complaining that the pampering had stopped. "What's he done?"

"Nothing…  _yet_."

"Okay, look," Keith managed to say. "I was just-"

"Following Katie Holt around wherever she went. I've been watching you the whole time."

"Really?" Nadia balked, putting her hands on her hips and giving the space ninja the stink eye. "What're you, some kind of creepy stalker?"

"No, I'm not," he retorted. "I'm just… I…"

"Look, I'd rather not make an incident out of this," Shiro cut him off, refusing to let up. "But if you don't come clean right now I  _will_  escort you off the premises by force, if necessary. This is your one chance; take it or leave it. The choice is yours."

Keith looked back and forth between their indignant faces, then to Kosmo, hoping maybe they could teleport away from here and come up with a new plan, anything to get him out of this situation. But the wolf instead chose to go entertain a group of children one lamppost over, leaving him to solve this problem himself. With no way to run, he accepted his fate and called upon his father's secret wisdom to give himself the final push.

"Fuck it," he muttered under his breath.

"Excuse you?" Shiro asked in confusion.

"There are children present, you know," Nadia chided.

"Sorry," Keith laughed. "I almost forgot that I could never keep anything from you, Shiro.”

Nadia was equally perplexed. "Wait, do you two know each other?"

"We used to," the Blade stated vaguely.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" the security guard was starting to lose his patience.

"Here, I'll show you."

Very slowly, Keith reached up to pull down his hood, deactivating his holo-mask in the process. Once his face was fully revealed to them, they both gasped and took a step back from him in shock.

"Wha…" Shiro stammered. "K-Keith?"

"Hey, Shiro," he replied with a small smile.

Stepping forward, Shiro gently took hold of his estranged friend's shoulders in a firm grip, unsure if the man in front of him was indeed real or just some illusion, a cruel joke. Keith remained perfectly still as the security guard inspected him, focusing intently on his birthmark, then his hair, and finally his eyes, their gazes now locked. He could see the fear and uncertainty in those gray irises, but when his surrogate brother cupped his cheek, it quickly gave way to pure, unbridled joy.

"Keith," Shiro cheered as he lifted him off the ground in a bone-crushing hug. "You're back!"

Keith felt something pop and winced. "Yep, feels great."

"Sorry," the bulkier man set him down, their smiles never wavering in the slightest. "I just can't believe it. Ten years… you've gotten so much taller. Where have you been all this time?"

His expression brightened. "With my family."

"You mean you found your mom?"

"Yeah, and I have an adopted sister now, too."

"Are they here with you?"

"They're around here somewhere."

"That's wonderful, I'd love to meet them," Shiro froze. "Oh, excuse me, Nadia, I was just… Nadia?"

Keith noticed the spot she was standing on before was now vacant, and a quick scan of the vicinity yielded no results either. "Where'd she go?"

Even Kosmo was visibly confused by her abrupt disappearance, and he could teleport at will.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"I hope so, but still, it's good to see you again, Shiro."

"Likewise, Keith; we have so much to catch up on."

"… Like what happened to Adam?"

The mention of his late husband caught the widow off-guard, but he held himself together. "Yes."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," the Right Hand immediately tried to save face. "But I heard what the announcer said and thought it'd be best to get it out of the way sooner rather than later."

"It's fine, I understand. Just… how about we hold off on that until  _after_  the festival?"

"Okay, that sounds good."

"Thanks," gently taking hold of Keith's shoulder, he gave him a stern look. "However, while I am happy to see you again, I still need you to tell me why you are so interested in my friend Katie."

Keith inhaled deeply through his nostrils to steady himself. "Okay, the reason is 'cause I was sent here to-"

"Grrrrrrrrr…"

Both of them turned to see Kosmo with his front lowered to the ground and teeth bared as he growled at something neither could see.

"What's going on?" Shiro queried.

Keith's features hardened as he followed his wolf's line of sight down the street. "Something bad… in that direction."

"That's where the costume contest will be held in just a few minutes…"

"And I last saw Katie heading that way too…"

"I'm going to go check it out."

"So are we. Let's move!"

"Wait, what?" but Keith and his dog had already taken off, so he quickly gave chase. "Still running headlong into trouble, I see!"

"Try to keep up!"

(X)

**Random Alleyway…**

"What happened to you?"

Nadia, currently hunched over by a dumpster as she dry-heaved, glimpsed at Ina standing a few feet away. "Keith's back."

"Keith?" the blonde quirked a brow. "You mean  **that**  Keith?"

"Yes, he just showed up again out of the blue and," her cheeks swelled before she threw up her dinner into the bin.

Ina was beside her instantly to hold her ponytail until she finished retching. Immediately after, she guided her ailing friend to sit down against the nearest wall, and once she was at least semi-comfortable, she offered her a napkin.

"Here."

"Thanks," Nadia took the disposable cloth, wiped her mouth with it, and then tossed it at the bin. It bounced off the edge and rolled onto the ground, but she didn't care, especially now that Ina was looking down at her with those studious eyes of hers. “What?"

"Did you talk to him?"

"No, I didn't."

"Why not?"

"I choked up, alright! It's not every day that your childhood crush who disappeared for half your life suddenly reappears out of nowhere and digs up all those emotions you thought you buried years ago. I didn't know how to react so here I am, flight winning out over fight, and now I'm scared that I might have fucked up my one chance to be straight with him!"

"That explains the stress-induced vomiting," Ina mulled over her words. "So, when do you plan on telling him? Statistically speaking, it would be better for your physical, mental, and emotional health if you did it sooner, rather than later. I will be there to help should you mispronounce your words or lose track of your thought processes.”

"You and your statistics," she chuckled, resting against the cool bricks behind her. "But you're right; I should talk to him before he slips away again. Mind helping me up?"

Ina stretched forth her hand, only for her whole body to tumble forward when something really hard knocked her in the back. She braced herself on the wall and then turned to see a platoon of cosplayers marching out of the alley in perfect synchronization, all dressed in bulky metallic-looking costumes and carrying some kind of laser rifle to top off their look.

"Hey, watch it!" Nadia derided.

One of them at the back stopped and looked down at her. The T-shaped visor of his helmet glowed a dark pink, as did sections of his onyx-plated abdomen and shoulder pads. He then pointed his rifle at her, the end of the barrel inches from her face, and the heat emitting from it caused her hair to stand on end, which was weird since she knew it had to be fake.

"So, um, what series or franchise are you-?"

"TARGET. NOT. IDENTIFIED," his visor flickered in synch with his synthesized voice.

"Target? What target?"

He lowered his rifle and stood rigid once more. "RESUMING. PHASE. ONE."

He ran to catch up with the rest of his group, the two women observing how his joints gave off mechanical whirring noises and his feet clanked with every step, just like all his fellow robot brothers did.

A sinking feeling appeared in Nadia's stomach. "Phase… one?"

(X)

**Here…**

"Welcome, everyone, to tonight's most anticipated event: the Costume Contest!"

Katie sat in the front row right in front of the theatre platform, otherwise, her small stature would have prevented her from seeing the show if she sat any further back. She had yet to see any sign of her friends, but that usually meant that they got here late and were forced to sit further back. Hopefully, they'd be able to get good shots of the contestants from wherever they were; Lance's Instapic profile was in desperate need of new material.

"As per usual, the winner will be decided by our judges hidden amongst this very audience," the announcer surmised through his microphone. "Over two dozen contenders have come from all corners of the universe to compete, but only one will be victorious. Now let's get started!"

As her anticipation over what costumes to expect grew, Katie's thoughts drifted to her own outfit. Apart from the changes that bonding with Voltron made to her physical appearance, her overall look was rather plain in her eyes, at least in regards to her clothes. The only real redeeming thing about it was the green, her favorite color, but even then most… scratch that,  _all_  of her shirts had that color on them in some way, shape, or form.

She really hoped Allura liked green.

By now, the presenter had acquired a clipboard from one of his assistants, likely a list of who was participating in this extremely nerdy fashion show.

"Here we go! Everyone put your hands together for… uh…"

A hulking figure walked into view from stage left. His costume instantly made him stand out; bulky bright red armor accented with black and dark gray, leaving only his head visible, which featured light-purple skin, large bat-like ears, and one yellow eye, the other made to look like a cybernetic prosthetic. His chest plate had two yellow markings on it reminiscent of eyes, adding to his menace and aggressiveness. Most interesting was the large clawed gauntlet where his left arm should be, somehow attached to his shoulder via a purple energy chain.

"I'm sorry, big guy, but I don't see you on the list," the presenter pointed out. "I take it you're a last minute addition, then?"

But while everyone else in the audience was impressed with Big Guy's look, Katie knew something was wrong right when she laid eyes on him. White hot animosity and hatred radiated off him so strongly that she felt like she had dived head-first into the sun, and it only kept growing as he approached the announcer in the center of the stage.

The presenter swallowed nervously, but as an act of professional courtesy raised his microphone close to the newcomer's face. "Here, why don't you tell us all who you are and where you're from?"

He said nothing for a long, agonizing moment, and Katie grit her teeth tighter and tighter until, at last, he spoke.

"I am Sendak…"

_He is your enemy, Katie Holt._

"I was once the greatest military commander of the Galra Empire; nothing could stop me but victory or death, and I always survived…"

_You and your people are in danger._

"But now the Empire is no more. At the height of our power, we were betrayed and destroyed from within, reducing our once proud race to a pitiful shadow of its former glory…"

Sendak then turned towards the crowd, and he glowered down at Katie with his good eye, causing her whole body to tense up.

"I have waited too long to enact revenge on those responsible, and my patience has been rewarded at last, for I now have the honor of destroying the host of the very parasite who took everything from us… you,  **Katie Holt**!"

He was pointing directly at her now, but while she stood firm, the crowd erupted into applause.

"Wow, way to move the crowd, Sendak," the presenter congratulated. "But we've still got a lot of contestants to get through, so if you would please walk to the right side of theHURRGH!"

The whole crowd gasped at the sight of the presenter's listless body now impaled on Sendak's claws, blood seeping out from the wounds and dripping onto the wooden floor.

"The Fire of Purification will spread until all enemies of the Galra are consumed," the hulking monstrosity tossed his victim's corpse into the crowd, where it hit the pavement with a wet 'smack'. "Initiate Phase Two."

_Stand fast, young one._

And then all hell broke loose.

BOOM

ZAP

ZAP

"AAAGH!"

BOOM

It was chaos; several explosions went off behind her, both near and far, causing Katie's seat to fall backward. Flipping onto her stomach, she bore witness to the horrifying sight of the festival catching fire, families, and bystanders running and screaming in all directions. Several were struck down by purple bolts of energy fired by metal-plated soldiers positioned both on the rooftops and at ground level, burning holes through their targets and sending them crashing to the ground in lifeless heaps.

"No," she cried out in desperation. "What's going on? What am I supposed to do?"

"Die as you so richly deserve," came Sendak's gravelly voice from the stage.

She looked back just in time to see the fallen commander leap off the elevated platform and start bearing down on her like a savage animal looking to rip its prey to ribbons, his roar the stuff of nightmares.

" **VICTORY OR DEATH!** "


	5. Come Together

**A Few Minutes Ago…**

PINGPINGPINGPING

"Time!" Joshua shouted. "Yet again, we have a tie."

"Damn," Lance cursed. "I thought I had you that time for sure."

Acxa lowered her toy gun. "How many does that make?"

Joshua double-checked the tally marks he wrote on his palm. "Um… fifteen."

Lance wiped his sweaty hand on his shirt. "Best sixteen out of thirty?"

Acxa looked over to Kova, who had decided to take a nap whilst curled around his stuffed companion. The time she had spent playing this game with Lance would be a fond memory she would carry with her once she left Earth, but considering there had been no changes to the parameters of her mission, she figured that she could afford to enjoy this activity a little longer.

"Very well," she shrugged. "Joshua, do you object?"

"Why would I? Watchin' you two go at it has been a blast! You know the drill."

The two competitors reloaded their weapons and assumed the position.

"Ready…"

CHIK-CHOK

"Aim… FIRE!"

ZAP

A flash of purple passed between them, and any desire they had to pull their triggers died in the face of Joshua staring horrified down at the gaping, charred hole in his chest before he collapsed to the ground.

"JOSH!" Lance screamed.

"LANCE, GET DOWN!"

She grabbed the human by his shirt and threw him over the countertop alongside herself, barely avoiding the bolts of plasma that passed overhead and tore the top half of the booth apart. The instant they hit the ground, Acxa immediately pressed her back against the wood for cover, while Lance's main concern was inspecting the body of his fallen friend.

"Josh. Josh, c'mon man!"

"He's dead, Lance," she yelled over the gunfire. "I'm sorry."

"Fuck! What the hell is going on?"

"Sentries!"

"What?"

"Machine soldiers. Galra infantry!"

"What the fuck is a GaAAGH!"

Acxa looked up and saw three of said robots leaning over their cover, their weapons trained on the helpless man. She guessed that the only reason they hadn't fired was that the rifles they carried were in their recharge cycle. They hadn't noticed her yet, which gave her the element of surprise; all she had to do was take it…

BANGBANGBANG

Three bolts of blue energy tore through their exoskeletons and sent them sailing backward and out of view. Tracing the origin point, Acxa's eyes widened upon seeing a heavily breathing Lance aiming his pistol at them, but not the toy one from earlier. This firearm seemed to be composed entirely of blue light, but once he realized what he had just done, it vanished into thin air as he struggled to make heads or tails of it all.

"H-How did I do that?" he fretted.

The answer was made clear to her in the form of a mark on his right knee, made visible thanks to the fabric covering it having been torn during the mutual hurdle they performed earlier, most likely. The symbol was that of a two-pronged sword pointing downward in front of a shield, both of which were glowing sapphire.

"I know that symbol," she stared the man who carried it. "You're a Paladin."

"I'm a what?"

BOOM

An explosion went off some ways away, followed immediately by the sound of people screaming and more laser blasts. Needing to act quickly, she grabbed Lance by his shirt and pulled him into position next to her, out of view and out of harm's way. Both dared to take a peek and saw more of those robots marching through the streets shooting at anything that moved, and then the duo quickly ducked back down to avoid being spotted.

She then realized that she was still holding one of the toy guns and promptly threw it away. "Lance, where is Katie Holt?"

"Wait, how do you know about Pidge?"

She grabbed his shirt again and gave him a fierce look. "Because I was sent here to protect her, and those machines came to kill her, otherwise they wouldn't be attacking your people. Now, where is she?"

"She's… she was heading toward the costume contest," he pointed to his right. "It's a couple of blocks that way."

"We need to get there."

"We?"

"Yes. Now, bring out your weapon."

"Whoah, hold on, that was just a reflex," he presented his open, empty palms to her. "I don't know how I made a magic gun appear out of thin air on command!"

_He hasn't been a Paladin for very long, then._

Under normal circumstances, she'd find someone more capable of handling themselves in a firefight to assist her, usually her brother, but he was likely dealing with his own problems. Lance was her best chance of getting out of this in one piece, and right now, she could think of no one else better to have fighting alongside her than a Paladin of Voltron.

She  _needed_  him.

What  _he_  needed, on the other hand, was a little encouragement, which involved taking hold of his shoulder to get his attention.

"Lance, focus," she spoke in a softer tone seldom used. "Do you have anyone here important to you?"

He swallowed. "M-My sister, and my friends, and everyone, really."

"Would you do anything to protect them?"

"Yeah, but how?"

"You already have the means," she brought her hand up to lightly touch his cheek, finding his skin to be warmer than expected. "Call on the power within you to heed your command, for that is its purpose; to defend others."

"You really think I can?"

"I know you can."

His brow furrowed before he looked down at his hands, clenched them into fists and closed his eyes. A tik passed where nothing happened, but then his whole body shone with a brilliant blue aura that coalesced in his hands and began to take the shape of his weapon of choice. It seemed he had chosen to forgo a simple pistol like last time in exchange for a rifle, judging by its design. Once it was formed, he let out an astonished "whoah" at his creation.

"Very good, Lance."

"Thanks, but now what?"

"Give me a moment," she placed her fingers to her temple. "I need to consult Kova."

"Your cat? Where is he anyway?"

"Right where I need him," she directed him to the shelf where the stuffed animals were, most of which were miraculously undamaged, and amongst them was the aforementioned cat, still as a statue to blend in.

Her eyes glowed yellow as she reached out to Kova with her mind, who responded in kind. Now that they were linked, she could see everything he saw from his comfy perch. She quickly cataloged the enemy's positions, glad that there were no civilians in the immediate area that could get caught in the coming crossfire before severing the link. As Kova jumped down to plant himself in-between a stunned Lance and focused Acxa, the latter brandished her true firearm from her belt.

"Something tells me that thing isn't a prop," the human assumed.

"It's not, now pay attention," she flipped the safety off. "There are five hostiles at ground level halfway between us and the other side of the street. If we act quickly we can dispatch them before they have the chance to call for reinforcements. You take aim at the one furthest to the right first, I'll start with the one furthest to the left."

"Two-pronged attack, got it," Lance looked away for a spell. "So… does this count as our final round?"

There was that grin again, and she had to stop herself from staring. "Are you serious?"

"Maaaayyyybe?" all that got him was an irritated glare. "Okay, let's do this."

"On my mark." she tightened her hold on her weapon, an action her comrade mimicked. "Three… two… one… mark!"

Springing to their feet and swinging themselves around to face their foes, they already had the robots dead in their sights before they could even register their presence. Pulling his trigger once, Lance speared his first target through its chest, and its fellow tin-can suffered the same fate. On Acxa's end, two more murder machines fell victim to her pinpoint-accurate shots. The final one in the middle, however, had since detected their location and leveled its rifle at them; two shots through its helmet sent it careening backward, the one laser blast it fired misfiring harmlessly into the sky.

They kept their guns trained on the pile of smoking husks, each of them surveying the area as their heartbeats pounded in their ears.

"Clear," the hybrid finally said, lowering her pistol but keeping a firm hold on it.

"We got 'em," Lance cheered.

"There are still more nearby. We need to find the other Paladins so we can coordinate more effective-"

CRASH

"Waaagh!" Lance jumped back in fright when the top half of another robot suddenly lanced in front of him, its chassis crumbled almost entirely crumpled like an empty pop can. "Huh?"

"Lance?" a familiar voice yelled from a nearby alleyway, and lo and behold, out from the shadows emerged Hunk, his clothing ripped and burned in some places, but otherwise he was fine.

"Hunk? You okay, buddy?"

"Oh yeah, I'm peachy," he replied tiredly. "I sold a bunch of treats, got attacked by killer robots, found out I'm super strong and durable now for some reason, ya know, typical festival stuff."

"Super strong," Lance repeated, looking over to the scrapped mech. "You did that?"

"He did," Veronica appeared from behind Hunk with a laser rifle in her hands. "Punted it clear over the rooftops; I almost felt sad for it."

"Veronica," he ran forward and threw his arms around her. "You're okay."

"I am, little bro," she returned the hug. "And so's the rest of the fam; they got out safely."

"My moms did too," Hunk added. "And also, where did you get that gun?"

"I made it," Lance boasted, but then he remembered that there was another woman present. "Oh, this is Acxa. Acxa, this is my sister Veronica and my friend Hunk."

"Greetings, Veronica," Acxa greeted as Kova reclaimed his spot on her shoulders again.

"Mrow?"

"Aw, what a cute kitty cat," Hunk gushed.

"And it's good that you're here, Paladin Hunk; your help would be invaluable."

"Thank you-wait, 'Paladin' Hunk?"

"I thought  _I_  was the Paladin," Lance frowned.

"The what-now?" Veronica muttered.

"You both are," Acxa corrected, pointing down at their legs.

On Lance's right knee, his mark still glimmered, while on Hunk's left a light shone through the fabric of his trousers. Surprised, the heavy-set man rolled up his pant leg to reveal an emblem that was an exact match to his friend's, minus the fact that his glowed yellow as opposed to blue.

"Okay, that was  _not_  there earlier," he frantically rubbed it to see if it would vanish without success.

"Neither was mine, but we'll worry about that later," Lance turned back to the blue-skinned woman. "Acxa, you know more about what's going on here than any of us, so what should we do next?"

Her breath caught in her throat.  _He's… truly trusting me, a complete stranger._

Why did that thought make her feel so warm again?

She coughed to try and get her mind back on the task at hand. "Our first priority should be making our way to-"

"Hold it," Veronica stepped forward, putting herself right in front of Acxa. "Just because my brother trusts you doesn't mean the rest of us do. Why should we even listen to you, Cat Girl? Who are you  _really_?"

Lance quickly came to her defense. "Hey, she's not just some 'cat girl', she's… really good at shooting things?"

It took all of the Left Hand's willpower to not smile.

"Oh, is that all?" Veronica rolled her eyes, but then found herself staring down the business end of Acxa's pistol, its owner speaking a single word in reply.

"No."

ZAP

The bolt missed Veronica's face by a centimeter and then passed between Hunk and Lance to strike the enemy machine behind them right in the center of its visor. Its body went limp, falling to the ground, and only then did the two Paladins start breathing again.

"I have a brother too," Acxa lowered her gun. "He's risking his life to protect all of you from this enemy, an enemy that will not stop until we all are dead. So you can either stand with me or alone, but know that if you choose the latter, your chances of survival will be slim at best."

Veronica's brow creased as she weighed her options in her head. Seemingly unable to come to a decision on her own, she looked to Lance for his input. Her little brother turned to his best friend first, and after Hunk gave him a trusting nod, Lance did the same to his sister.

"… Okay," she conceded. "What's our next move, Acxa?"

"Uh, guys," Hunk raised his hand. "I feel like I should point out that not all of our friends are accounted for, namely Pidge, Colleen, Shiro, Nadia, and Ina."

"We'll get to them, Hunk," Lance assured him. "And take down anything that gets in our way."

Now the Left Hand permitted herself to smile, but only for the briefest of tiks.

"Set up a perimeter and keep your eyes open while I make a call," she commanded, and as they got themselves into something resembling a defensive position, she activated her wrist communicator again. "Mother, what's your status?"

(X)

**Harold's…**

"Busy," the Head of Marmora replied as she cleaved another sentry in two.

" _I'd recognize this attack pattern anywhere,"_  her daughter's voice said over the comm.  _"It could only mean…"_

"Sendak," she swung her arm to decapitate another machine before stabbing the one directly behind her through its chest. "He's here for Katie Holt; we need to get to her now!"

" _I've got two of her Paladins with me plus a civilian and am heading to her last known location. Keith should be there too."_

"Do whatever you can to protect the Bearer, but if the opportunity arises, terminate Sendak the first chance you get! I'll be there as soon as I can!"

" _Acknowledged."_

" _Uh, Acxa, I think we've been spotted."_

Krolia jammed her blade through the side of yet another mech. "Who's that?"

" _It's… one of the Paladins. Lance. But we have to go now!"_

"Vrepit Sa, my child," she shut the line off and exhaled loudly, savoring whatever amount of tiks she had until the next wave of enemies arrived.

"K-Krolia?"

The voice was unmistakably Colleen's. Krolia saw her new friend standing up from behind the charred and overturned hotdog cart that once belonged to Hal, now deceased. The human woman surveyed the battlefield, taking in the sight of the numerous bodies, both human and machine, that littered the streets before turning to the purple-skinned warrior standing in the center of it all.

"Colleen, please listen to-"

"Look out behind you!"

Krolia swiftly spun around, but not fast enough. Five of those accursed spherical drones were there and had already taken aim with their triangle-shaped optics. She could deflect up to two shots at best, but not all of them, and considering these drones were likely programmed with knowledge of who she was... well, she'd be lucky if she got out of this alive if she was being honest with herself. Knowing she only had a single tik at most to react, she tightened her grip on the handle of her blade and…

" **KROLIA!** "

THUNKTHUNKTHUNKTHUNKTHUNK

Stood completely still as all the drones crashed to the ground, each of them impaled by a large spike. Looking back over her shoulder, she first took note of a tearful Colleen whose hand was outstretched, but then she saw a giant, monstrous flower that had overgrown the entire booth where the potted plants were being sold. Its enormous petals were a deep crimson, and large thorns protruded out of its stem from top to bottom, said protrusions being an exact match to the projectiles that destroyed the drones.

Colleen gave a surprised yelp upon seeing it for herself. "D-Did I do that?"

Krolia, having since run over to her, saw a green light emanating through the cloth covering her left shoulder. "You… did."

The middle-aged woman then saw her mark for the first time. "What? Where did that come from?"

"Colleen," the taller woman grasped the human's hand. "I know you're frightened, but I need you to stay calm. Can you do that for me, please?"

She swallowed and nodded. "Yeah."

Krolia then helped her kneel down by the cart right beside Bae Bae and then checked if the coast was clear. "We don't have much time until more show up."

"You've fought these machines before?" Colleen's breathing had evened out; a good sign.

"For all my life."

"Does that mean you know why they're attacking my hometown?"

"They're here for a woman named Katie Holt…"

"My daughter?"

"I was sent here to… wait, your  _daughter_?"

"THESE ASSHOLES ARE HERE TO KILL MY BABY GIRL?!" the human shouted, her mark glowing brighter, the plant growing larger and more menacing in conjunction, all while her dog whimpered fearfully.

"Yes, but together we can save her," Krolia's words seemed to quell her friend's anger as the plant stopped mutating.

"How?" she grabbed the warrior's muscular arms. "Tell me, please!"

"Relax," Krolia placed her hands atop Colleen's. "I understand your fear; my children are out there fighting for their lives, but until we know they're safe, we cannot afford to let our fear get the better of us."

The human's expression hardened. "I won't."

"Good. Now, do you know where your daughter's last known location was?"

"The costume contest is not far from here, but I still don't understand… why would anyone want to kill her?"

"I'll explain later, but I need you to stay focused for her sake as well as your own."

"I will," she wiped her eyes and then offered a comforting pet to Bae Bae.

"Thank you," the Galran then readied her sword. "Are you ready to move?"

"Just a sec," Colleen gazed at the mutated flower studiously. "You said  _I_  did that, right?"

"Yes. The power to do that came from your daughter. She gave it to you because you are one of the few people she trusts the most."

"One of the perks of being a single parent," the smaller woman tittered, Krolia smiling in agreement. "Give me a second, I want to try something."

Krolia and Bae Bae stood back and watched as Colleen walked up to the frightening flora and then took the tip of one of its thorns in-between her thumb and index finger. Closing her eyes in concentration, a green aura illuminated her being as the flower shrank and devolved, obeying the will of the Paladin. In no time at all, it was reduced to its original state; even the clay pot it was planted in was still intact.

"I am both surprised and glad you were able to pull that off so quickly," Krolia commended.

"All I did was ask," Colleen picked up the piece of pottery, only to then notice the unmoving, bloodied body lying motionless behind the counter. "Oh, Margaret."

"Colleen…"

"I'll be fine. Let's go save my daughter."

Bae Bae let out a gallant bark, spurring them on as they started to run in the hopes that they weren't too late.

(X)

**"VICTORY OR DEATH!"**

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Katie as Sendak descended upon her with his mechanical arm reared back to strike. It was like her first encounter with Voltron all over again, but while the lion entity's intentions for her were good, this monster's was clearly the opposite. The sheer volume of hatred in his eyes had left the Bearer paralyzed with fear, her whole body seized in its icy clutches.

_What do I do?_

_Stand and_ _ **FIGHT!**_  answered the other voice belonging to Not-Allura.

Instinct triumphed over logical thought processes, and with a cry of desperation, she swung her hand out at her attacker almost blindly. A surge of power flowed through her, releasing a wave of light that repelled Sendak, much to his irritation. His mechanical claws carved grooves into the pavement as he slowed to a stop.

"Well then," the amusement in his voice made her want to throw up. "At least killing you won't bore me."

She moved to stand up, but then there was a flash of blue sparkly light in front of her, and when it passed, three beings stood before her: a big, blue-furred wolf, some guy with a mullet, and a quivering Shiro.

"Okay, that felt weird," he shuddered.

"Shiro?"

He spun to face her. "Katie, are you alright?"

"Yeah," she replied as he hauled her to her feet.

Shiro turned to the other man who was busy staring down Sendak. "Keith, I've got her."

"Good," Keith said. "Kosmo, get them out of here."

"What? No, I'm not leaving without you!"

"I'll handle this, Shiro. See you later."

"Keith, wai-"

Another flash and the three of them were gone, leaving the hybrid to face the Galran Commander by himself. Sendak stood proud as one with centuries of military service would, but it seemed the only emotion he could express right now was complete and utter contempt for the individual across from him.

"The Right Hand of Marmora," the cyborg laughed. "Fortune smiles upon me this day, for I get the pleasure of killing you, as well."

Keith drew his dagger and transformed it into its sword form. "Getting a little ahead of yourself, don't you think?"

"Hardly."

And then they charged.

Whilst running, Sendak made the first move by launching his gauntlet at Keith like a missile. The half-human dropped to his knees and slid underneath the attack, but before he could swing his blade and break the tether keeping it linked to its master, the Commander raised it higher than the young man could reach, and thus he missed.

When the distance between the two fighters had finally closed, Keith somersaulted forward and then performed a handspring, hitting Sendak in the stomach with both feet. The cyborg staggered back as he retracted his weaponized prosthetic and raised it high, intending to bring it down upon his foe and crush him.

WHOOM

Keith rolled out of the way in time, slashing Sendak's leg in the process. Baring his fangs, he swung at the hybrid again, who flipped over the massive appendage and then jammed his sword into his enemy's shoulder. The pained grunt Sendak released was cut short by Keith smashing his elbow into his enemy's face one, twice, then three times. Growling, the Commander blocked the next strike with his flesh arm and then socked Keith in the head to send him reeling back.

Seizing Keith by his hair, Sendak then threw Keith onto the ground hard enough to crack it, then hoisted him up by his hair and drove his mechanical fist into his stomach.

POW

Keith went sailing back and crashed into a lamppost several feet away, knocking it over. He may have been tough, but that blow had  _hurt_ , the small amount of blood he coughed up evidence of the fact. Sendak grinned proudly as he prepared to launch another attack, only to release scream as a set of razor-sharp teeth sank into his injured leg. Looking down, he saw the Right Hand's mutt gnawing on the very wound its master made there. He tried to punch the filthy thing with his cyber-arm, only for it to teleport and avoid the attack.

SNIKT

"RARGH!"

When the sword embedded in his shoulder was suddenly yanked free, Sendak swung backward wildly and hit nothing but air. The mutt bounded over to the Right Hand, who retrieved his sacred blade from its mouth. Keith then wiped the blood from his chin, while Sendak licked his lips clean, and with his canine companion at his side, the hybrid charged forward to continue the battle.

All of this could be seen by Shiro and Katie, who had chosen to remain hidden behind the stage where the wolf had dropped them off, essentially. The young Bearer was clearly concerned about the outcome of the fight, but nowhere near as much as her friend, who was sweating buckets as he watched Keith go toe-to-toe with the hulking… whatever the hell Sendak was.

"C'mon, Keith," Shiro said through gritted teeth.

"That's the Keith who disappeared when you were younger?" she guessed.

"Yes."

He wouldn't even look at her, which was deeply concerning. "C'mon Shiro, let's-"

"Get out of here."

"W-What?"

"Find your mom and the others, and get as far away from here as possible."

"But what about you?"

"I'm staying."

"Oh, fuck that," she protested. "If I'm leaving, then so are you. You promised to always have my back, remember?"

"I promised Keith the same thing," Shiro retorted sadly, only now turning to show her how worried he was. "I can't afford to lose either of you."

She was stunned into silence, having only ever seen that look on him one other time, four years ago to be precise. A loud yelp then brought both their concentration back to the fight, and it wasn't looking good. The wolf lay on the ground twitching in pain while a bruised and battered Keith had been ensnared by Sendak's prosthetic and nearly crushed in its mammoth vice.

Arcs of purple energy danced across Keith's entire body, subjecting him to some type of intense electrical shock that caused him to scream out in agony and drop his sword. Sendak allowed himself a small sadistic smirk, which sent Shiro's blood to boiling. He got down on one knee and rolled up his pant leg, revealing a .38 Special Revolver strapped to his ankle. He drew the weapon and prepared to go out there, but was halted by a small hand clasping around his arm firmly.

"Shiro, don't," Katie pleaded.

He looked into the eyes out of his charge, then back out to his old friend suffering at Sendak's hands, then back to her. "I'm sorry."

He yanked his arm away and ran out into the open, ignoring Katie's cries for him to stop and turn back. He couldn't, not when he just got his little brother back. What choice did he have? The other security guards had either fled or were killed, and the PCPD had never gone up against the likes of killer robots, so God only knew how long he'd have to wait for backup to arrive. It was down to him, and he needed to act  _now_.

He quickly checked to make sure his gun was fully loaded, pulled the hammer back, and took aim at Sendak. "Hey!"

Sendak turned to look at him with complete disinterest. "Yes?"

"Put him down right now or I'll shoot!"

"Shiro," Keith grunted painfully. "Run!"

"Ah, I see," Sendak realized. "You two share the same weakness, otherwise you would have already taken the shot."

"I said put him down!"

"Very well."

The cyborg dropped a sizzling Keith to the ground and then began advancing on Shiro, who decided that now was the best time to pull the trigger.

BANG, BANG, BANG

The bullets bounced harmlessly off the monster's armor and did nothing to slow his stride, so the policeman aimed for his head next.

BANG, BANG, BANG

Sendak was too quick, raising his gauntlet to block the remaining shots before swatting the empty gun out of Shiro's hand. The human staggered, but then threw a right hook that Sendak caught inches from his face with his flesh arm. Shiro then swung with his left fist and hit the towering humanoid square in the jaw to no effect, apart from amusing his foe with such a feeble attempt.

SHUCK

"GAH!"

It felt as though someone had suddenly jammed a metal rod into his armpit, and upon looking down, he realized that he wasn't too far off the mark. Said 'metal rod' was actually one of the clawed fingers of Sendak's mechanical arm, Shiro's blood trickling all the way down to its knuckle. Gritting his teeth, the policemen fought through the pain and light-headedness as best he could to remain standing, hissing at even the slightest movement.

"He cares for you," Sendak couldn't help but revel in the human's torment. "Your suffering will add to his own, and that will make my victory all the more worthwhile once he and the Bearer of Voltron are dead by my hands."

If looks could kill, then the one Shiro leveled at Sendak would have stopped the bastard's heart. "Not… today."

There was a burst of energy that spread from his chest up his restrained arm. It coalesced into his palm, manifesting as a luminous purple replica of his revolver that was now aimed directly at Sendak's face.

Shiro saw an opening and took it, no hesitation.

BANG

The bullet-shaped projectile embedded itself in Sendak's 'good' eye, dark magenta blood leaking from his now-mangled eyeball. The invader's grimace morphed into a scowl of pure rage, and then there was a horrible, wet ripping sound as Shiro's arm was violently torn from his body. He barely had time to scream before Sendak's claws slashed him across the face and sent him sprawling to the pavement out cold.

"Shiro, NO!" Keith cried out.

Katie struggled to breathe as her heart thrummed in her ears. Shiro and the wolf were down for the count, the former more than likely bleeding to death, while Keith was doing all he could just to crawl over to him to try and help. And then there was Sendak, who plucked the bullet out of his eye and flicked it away.

"A worthy effort, but futile," he gloated, raising his gauntlet to deliver the killing blow. "Vrepit Sa, Paladin."

 _C'mon, Katie you're supposed to be a defender, right?_  the Bearer self-derided.  _Do something! You're the one he wants, not them!_

And whether it was thanks to bravery or utter stupidity, she acted.

"HEY!" she yelled as loud as she could, and once his eyes, or rather eye (singular), was on her did she slowly walk out from behind the stage. "I'm right here."

"So you finally overcame your cowardice?"

Katie swallowed. "I'm  _not_  afraid of you."

"Then you will die braver than most."

She then watched with mild fascination and mounting terror as Sendak's gauntlet rapidly transformed, the fingers shifting together to form three elongated talons. A hole opened in the center of the palm to create the barrel of what she presumed was a cannon, and now it was pointed directly at her, a ball of concentrated energy swelling as it prepared to fire.

Katie had recalled what Allura said about Voltron, how being bonded to him meant that she now had access to all of his powers, but what kind? Thinking fast, she thrust her hands out, palms open, envisioning in her mind something along the lines of a shield, or laser blasts, anything that would help her survive Sendak's impending attack.

And nothing happened.

"Shit."

WRRR-THOOM

The blast collided with and instantly overtook her, the searing heat and pressure forcing her backward, the sensation of wood breaking and splintering against her back. The pain was unreal, but before she blacked out, she released a desperate cry from the deepest parts of her being, a single word that meant more to her than anything.

And then… darkness.

(X)

**Altea…**

_**ALLURA!** _

"Agh," the princess doubled over in pain, clutching her chest with one hand and steadying herself on the dinner table with the other.

"Allura, what's wrong?" Melenor gasped when her daughter suddenly collapsed onto the floor. "Oh my goodness!"

"Twice in one day? It must be serious," Coran surmised as he and his spouses got up from their seats and ran over to their daughter, the mice watching from the edge of the table.

"Katie," Allura panted as her parents helped her up. "She's in danger!”

"What's happened to her?" the queen inquired.

The young royal pressed her hand to her own temple to help concentrate on sorting through the mental images and emotions she just acquired through her link with her fated. "Her home is being attacked by… Sendak!"

"Sendak?" All three members of the Triumvirate gasped in horror.

"Yes. He's already killed many innocents and seriously hurt one of the Paladins; the rest are nowhere to be seen. Not even Krolia's son could hold him off for long."

"But how did he know where to find Katie?" Melenor thought aloud.

"More importantly, how did he learn that she was the new Bearer so quickly?" Coran added.

"WHO CARES?!" Allura thundered with tears in her eyes. "My Kindred's life is in jeopardy! She's alone, scared, and in pain, and I need to do something!"

"We  _will_  do something," her father proclaimed. "Melenor, take us to her room."

His wife nodded and brought her hands together. A white-blue light overtook her family before the four of them were whisked away to another part of the castle, unwittingly leaving the mice behind. Not even a tik later and they reappeared in Allura's chambers, and after Melenor wiped her daughter's face clean, they and the rest of their family joined hands to form a circle.

"Close your eyes and focus your energy, my loves," the queen instructed, and they all obeyed without question.

Then began the chant, the royal family all speaking as one.

"Loosen your mortal bonds… Free your spirit… Transcend and become LIGHT!"

The sensation of entering the Quintessence Field was akin to a quick, powerful gust of wind wrapping around their bodies, followed by an all-encompassing sense of tranquility as they opened their eyes. Their spiritual forms shone with luster, and all around them was a vast expanse of blackness filled with stars that stretched on for infinity, the lights of all living creatures.

And for Allura, one such light stood out, as not only was it bigger and brighter than all the others, but it was calling to her directly.

_Allura… help… I need you…_

"Go to her, my child," Alfor kindly insisted.

"We'll keep an eye on things until you get back," Coran winked.

Her mother motioned for her to get going and away she went, sprinting full force along the path laid out for her, neither tiring nor slowing down in the slightest. Very soon, the points of light faded away, leaving her in a void, empty, save for her and one other.

Katie, her Kindred One, down on her knees and hunched over, her shoulders slouched and arms hanging listlessly at her sides as she stared down at nothing. She appeared so… diminished, and it broke Allura's heart to see it.

"Help," Katie whined again.

The princess ran over to her beloved. "I'm here, Katie!"

The human raised her head a fraction, revealing her sunken eyes and pale complexion. "Allura? Is it really you?"

"It's me," she dropped down and threw her arms around the small woman. "I came when I heard you call, and I know what brought you here. It's going to be alright, I promise."

Katie found herself delighting in the familiarity of Allura holding her, and… was that raspberries and vanilla she was smelling? Who knew? She tried to return the embrace, only to meet tremendous resistance to the point that it rendered her incapable of merely twitching her fingers no matter how much she exerted herself. It wasn't fair; why couldn't she hug Allura back?

With a frustrated sigh, the Bearer gave up, her body going slack in the Altean's hold. "I can't move."

"The Quintessence Field is reacting to your emotions; this oppression you're feeling is your fear and remorse made manifest."

"You're saying they're literally weighing me down?"

"They are," Allura pulled back and held the girl gently by her shoulders. "But only because your guilt is misplaced. You're blaming yourself for what's happened to your home and your people when the fault lies solely with Sendak."

"Does it?" Katie countered dejectedly as her vision grew misty. "He's only here because Voltron chose  _me_."

"Katie…"

"You were right, I didn't want this, and I don't know why I was picked among God-knows-how-many other beings in the universe, but here we are," she dropped her head in shame. "I just can't help but feel that if this wasn't the case, then everything would be okay, or at least better than they are right now."

"Possibly, but with one major exception."

"And that is?"

Using the tips of her fingers, Allura lifted Katie's head by her chin, smiling once their eyes met. "We might never have found each other."

Warm streaks were now running down Katie's face, but she was too busy processing what she just heard and the implications thereof to bother with it. Thankfully, Allura attended to it herself by delicately cupping the sides of her head and brushing the tears away with her thumbs, all without either of them averting their gazes from the other.

"I believe you were chosen simply because you care," Allura described. "That's why you risked exposing yourself as you did. The lives of others, be it your family or complete strangers, mean so much to you. In your eyes, they all have great potential, they all  _matter_ , otherwise you wouldn't feel as awful as you do seeing them in pain; I know this to be true."

"Because of Voltron?"

"No," the princess angled down and touched her forehead to Katie's. "We are Kindred, you and I; two halves of one soul. Voltron revealed us to one another, but our bond and mutual affection are just that:  _ours_ , and  _only_  ours, my sweet Katie."

Fresh tears poured from Katie's eyes once she accepted that Allura was right, she  _did_  feel something for her, this woman whom she had only ever really interacted with in her dreams. Just being so close to Allura filled her with a sense of peace and contentment that she had never known before. Allura made her feel…  _whole_ , like she had found something she hadn't realized she was missing until she first laid eyes on the tall, dark-skinned, and regal beauty.

"You really are an angel, aren't you?" the young genius chuckled.

"Truth be told, I have no idea what an 'angel' is," Allura admitted. "But I will take it as a compliment."

"I'll explain it to you later."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too."

Both of them shared a merry laugh as Allura used her hand first to dry Katie's face off again before running it through the human girl's long brown locks in a gesture of comfort and reassurance. Katie found herself instinctually leaning into her touch, thoroughly enjoying the pampering and wondering how the hell she went her entire life without ever experiencing something like this!

"I've wondered the same thing regarding myself," Allura answered, grinning at the sight of her fated blushing before giving her a more serious look. "But right now, we must focus on dealing with Sendak."

"I know," the Bearer sighed. "It's just… when I tried to do something earlier it didn't pan out. Whatever powers Voltron gave me, I don't know how to use them. I don't know how to fight, at all."

"I can help you with that."

"How?"

Allura took hold of her cheeks again. "Allow me to guide you. I will lend you my knowledge and discipline, and we  _will_  defeat him together, as one. What say you?"

Both their facial marks began glowing and Katie felt a wave of rejuvenation wash over her. With newfound strength, she placed her hands over Allura's and leaned upward, the princess mirroring her movements until they were close enough that their breath mingled in the remaining space.

"Lead me and I will follow," Katie whispered softly. "I trust you."

"Then I hereby vow to  _never_  lead you astray."

They closed their eyes as their lips met, and when Katie opened them again, things were different. She was now standing, for one, and the darkness that surrounded her previously had been dispelled, replaced with a brilliantly gleaming plain. Raising her arms, she perceived a second pair at the edges of her peripheral moving in synch with her own, undoubtedly Allura's, but where was she? Behind her?

No, she was  _with_  her. Guiding her. Watching over her.

She could feel it: they were one.

"Are you ready, my Kindred?" Allura asked.

Forming her hands into fists, Allura did the same as their hearts, now beating in tandem, swelled with courage. "I'm ready."

"As am I. Now let's show Sendak our teeth, shall we?"

"Let's."

(X)

As the wooden structure collapsed on top of the Bearer, Sendak kept a straight face, even though he was grinning maliciously on the inside. But truthfully, he had hoped the female would provide a better challenge considering he had borne witness to the might of Voltron all those deca-phoebs ago, back when the wretched traitor Thace had served as the lion's host.

Disappointment aside, however, he wasn't quite finished with her yet, not until he had reduced her to atoms. So, walking towards the pile of debris, he scanned it with his cybernetic eye and detected a heat signature, unmistakably hers, and stood before it. He could have just blasted her again and ended it right then and there, but she wasn't going to get off  _that_  easily.

"Stand and face me, Bearer," he bellowed as he bent lower. "Or should I turn my attention back to yourNNGH!"

A small hand had burst out of the rubble and snagged the fur of his jaw, pulling him down further. The pieces of singed wood and other junk piled on top of Katie Holt retreated to give her room to stand until her face filled Sendak's entire field of vision, her eyes flaring in fury as her aura danced across her body like an ethereal fire.

In an attempt to use his current position to his advantage, Sendak charged his arm cannon again and aimed it directly at her head. Just before it fired, however, Katie let go of his jaw, and backhanded the weapon away so the blast flew harmlessly into the sky. This distracted him long enough for her to channel her power into her fist, which now glowed as she punched him in his chest hard enough to dent his armor and send him rolling across the ground for longer than he would have liked.

Getting to his feet as quick as he could, Sendak raised his arm and spoke into his wrist. "Bearer located. All units, converge on my posi-"

CLUNK

"Argh," something hard hit him on the head, which turned out to be the severed head of one of his robotic sentries. "What?"

CLUNK, CLUNK, CLUNKCLUNK, CLUNK, CLUNK

"Hey Tall, Dark, and Fugly!" Sendak ignored the thrumming ache on his scalp and looked to see a group of humans, plus the Left Hand of Marmora herself, having just arrived in the clearing, the one holding the blue rifle speaking for them as the larger one next to him juggled a couple more sentry heads. "There's plenty more where that came from!"

He was so agitated upon seeing another half-breed mongrel that he almost missed the Right Hand, his mutt, and the paladin being carried away by several large vines and deposited by another gang of natives, all female, one of which held some type of pot from which the plants sprouted from. As the two smaller ones inspected their salvage, the head of the pack stepped forward, sword in hand.

"You," he snarled venomously.

"It's over, Sendak," Krolia thrust her blade out at him. "We took care of your toys. You're all alone, now surrender!"

Sendak looked back and forth between the contingent of hostiles that have amassed around him, and then back to the Bearer, who hadn't even bothered to move, let alone assume a defensible position. Was she mocking him?

She would pay dearly for it, they  _all_  would!

**"VICTORY OR DEATH!"**

Roaring like a feral animal, he performed a ground-pound with his arm cannon, releasing an energized shockwave in all directions that knocked Krolia and her allies away quite a distance. But the Bearer remained unmoved, sweeping her arms out in opposite directions to cut through the blast and disperse it just before it reached her. Now foaming at the mouth in indignation, he overclocked his arm-cannon to reach critical mass and then released all of the energy in the most powerful beam he could muster.

The Bearer saw it coming, and so brought her hands back together and  _caught_  it. Sendak was tempted to be mesmerized as she gathered the energy between her palms and condensed it into a small orb no bigger than her fist and held it aloft, presenting it to him as a prize.

And then she vanished in a pulse of light, reappearing right in front of him with the orb pressed to his torso. She then looked up, locked eyes with him, and decided his fate.

"Death."

BWA-ZHOOM

Commander Sendak didn't even have time to scream before every single one of his cells was torn apart by the blast as it careened upwards through the atmosphere and into the void. Once it was over, Katie lowered her hand and looked to each of her friends, as well as the multicolored women she didn't recognize.

Most of them were looking at her in awe and wonder, the tall purple woman was preoccupied with looking over Keith, Veronica examined Shiro's injuries, Nadia was petting the unconscious wolf, and her mom was walking towards her with a potted rose in her hands.

"Katie? Honey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she gave a thumbs-up. "Good enough to take a nap."

Her mother reached out as she began to fall backward…

(X)

And into Allura's waiting arms. She was back in the Quintessence Field, her body feeling numb again, but in a good way, like she had just gone for a morning jog right before stepping into a warm bath. Allura carefully guided her down until the back of her head rested against something soft, and when she looked up, her Angel's smiling upside-down face was all she could see.

"Well done, Katie," Allura cradled her head again. "I'm so proud of you."

"Wow," Katie breathed out. "That was quite the experience, huh?"

"Indeed, and that was only a fraction of what you are capable of."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Allura. Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

The small woman let out a sleepy yawn. "I'm tired; it's been a long day."

"It certainly has," the princess soothed as she lightly pet Katie's hair. "You've earned a nice rest."

Her eyelids were starting to droop. "Can we stay like this until I wake up?"

"Of course," and so Katie closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off on the lap pillow Allura generously provided. "Sleep well, my Kindred, and know that the time of our union draws near. It won't be long now, can you feel it?"

"Yeah," one last yawn. "It feels… great."

(X)

Alfor pulled the blankets up to cover his daughter's sleeping form and then kissed her forehead. "I'll stay and watch her for a little while longer, but then I must see to my soldiers to ensure that we are still on schedule."

"Going to be pulling in late, love?" Coran asked, watching as the mice cuddled up next to Allura to keep her company.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"It's alright. I was just going to spend the evening working on a new personal project of mine, anyway."

"Oh, forgive me, dear," Melenor said in a manner that was more sultry than apologetic. "But I'm afraid your project will have to wait until tomorrow."

Her hungry eyes caused Coran's body temperature to spike instantly, and he swallowed involuntarily. "And why is that?"

"Because I still owe you a debt," she playfully twiddled his mustache. "One that I intend to pay  _in full_  as soon as possible."

Steam shot out of Coran's ears, the spectacle making Alfor snicker. "Have fun, you two."

"We will."

The queen then grabbed the duke by his lapels and teleported him to their bedroom. Upon arrival, she took one step back from him and then ran her hands along the curves of her body from top to bottom enticingly. Everywhere they roamed, her clothes would vanish in their wake, transported to the nearby closet in a carnal display of her magical prowess.

Coran refused to let himself blink as he drank in every detail of his wife's beautiful, bare-naked figure, starting with her flawless brown skin that was accentuated wonderfully by her long ivory hair. Next was her full and firm breasts that still retained their youthful pride, her erect nipples a lovely shade of pink that made his mouth water. Trailing further down past her flat stomach and slim waist, he beheld her maidenhood at last, swollen and glistening with need, the patch of white above it noticeably damp. After reaching the end of her long, shapely legs, he returned to gazing into her eyes which held nothing but love and adoration for him on top of the lust burning within them.

With a flick of her hand, Melenor willed Coran's clothing to disappear all at once. The cool chill of the room was instantly overpowered by her warm body pressing up against his own as their lips smacked together. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his erect member rub against her lower belly while his fingers dug into her luscious rear, making them both moan into each other's mouths. Their tongues danced, and the queen giggled as her nose was tickled by his facial hair, which she considered to be a very endearing trait that both her husbands shared.

When the need for air arrived, Melenor abruptly shoved him away, causing him to fall back onto the bed. She then quickly crawled on top of him and gripped his penis, giving it a few strokes before lining the tip with her entrance.

"I love you, my Kindred," she murmured with a kiss.

"And I love you, my Kindred."

Then she brought her hips down, moaning as she happily welcomed him back into the tight confines of her private oasis. Once he was fully immersed within her hot, fluttering walls, she straightened her back and started moving, her eyes closed and breasts bouncing as she repeatedly speared herself upon him again and again, her hands pressing down on his abdomen for leverage. Wet slaps of flesh against flesh and the creaking of the bed joined with their moans and grunts, filling the bedchamber with the song of their passionate lovemaking.

Through the rapturous haze of coitus, Coran considered that perhaps having to work with the admittedly intelligent but aggravating Slav wasn't so bad after all, and that maybe,  _just maybe_ , he could stand to be a little more tolerant of the kooky engineer.

Especially if it lead to even more occurrences of _this_.

(X)

 **Author's Note** :

HOLY CRAP, it's finally done. Took me long enough, right?

Thanks for being patient guys, and thank you for all the kudos, comments, hits and whatnot. I'll begin working on the next chapter in a few days once June starts, and it shouldn't be as hard to write as this one was.

Until next time, peace!


	6. Impetuous

Katie knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she'd have to wake up sooner or later, but that fact didn't make it any easier for her to be separated from Allura, at least for now. It was made even  _less_  easy when a loud "hiss" assaulted her ears, both of which then immediately popped, the sensation making her shudder. Her first attempt to breathe was rewarded with her lungs being filled with a juxtaposition of hot and cold air that triggered a coughing fit.

"Deep breaths, dear," she heard her mother say.

She opened her eyes to blurry visuals, but after blinking a few times, she was greeted by the sight of her mom, Lance, Hunk, Nadia, Ina, Veronica, and Bae Bae all standing outside of whatever she had been resting in. Some type of cylindrical container or pod, from the looks of it.

"Hey, Pidge," Hunk smiled.

"How you feelin', girl?" Nadia asked.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Lance joked.

"Yeah, actually," she arched her back and groaned when she felt something pop. "Thanks for asking."

"Technically you weren't napping," Ina stated in her classic matter-of-fact style. "You were in a state of cryogenic rejuvenation, but who am I to talk?"

With one hand gripping the edge of the opening, Katie pushed herself forward and out of the pod with the other, Veronica helping to keep her steady as a medical professional would do. The room she entered was dark metal from top to bottom and bathed in the lavender glow of the lights, its overall size comparable to a decently-sized apartment.

"Your pulse is normal," the good doctor let go of Katie's wrist and then placed the back of her hand against the small woman's forehead. "No fever either."

"Guys, I'm fine, I just," she gasped when she remembered that there was one important person absent who was definitely  _not_  fine last time she saw him. "Where's Shiro?"

The mood shifted in an instant, and everyone now looked extremely uncomfortable as they all turned to another pod directly across from hers on the opposite wall. That was all the incentive she needed to approach it and see what had become of her guardian with her own eyes.

And the results weren't pretty, not one bit. They were downright ugly.

His right arm was completely gone now, only a stump of malformed tissue remaining where it was severed at the shoulder. Gazing upon his sleeping face, she cringed at the jagged pink scar running across the bridge of his nose, and then it hit her that he wasn't aware of any of this. How would he react to finding a literal piece of himself gone once he woke up? He'd been hurt before, but never to this extreme!

Shiro was one of the strongest people she knew, someone who always got back up and kept moving forward no matter how many times life beat him into the dirt. His mom dying of cancer, his father kicking him out onto the streets for being gay, his Garrison training, the loss of his husband, he never allowed  _anything_  to keep him down for long. But even she had doubts that he would be able to bounce back from something like this if she was being honest with herself.

And he also had frosted tips now, for some reason, the how and the why only adding to her stress.

"He's going to be fine."

Katie turned to see the tall (even for her) purple woman from before standing near their group, and two individuals stood on her left and right sides respectively, one a blue-skinned girl, and the other unmistakably Keith, who looked a little banged up but otherwise was fine. Behind them, she saw the bandaged blue wolf lying on a cot jutting out from the wall and a little black cat curled up by his side. The black-clad humanoids’ postures were straight and arms at their sides to appear as non-threatening as possible, but Katie couldn't afford to let her guard down now, not until she knew for sure that her family and friends weren't in any danger.

"Who are you three?"

The one in the middle gave a respectful bow. "I am Krolia, Leader of the Blade of Marmora, and these are my children, Acxa and Keith."

"Where are we?"

"We are onboard my ship and currently en route to Altea.”

"We're not on Earth anymore?"

"Nope," Lance emphasized the 'P' with a popping sound. "If you need proof, Hunk already barfed in a trash can twice since this trip started."

"Excuse you?" Hunk barked. "I've got a legitimate problem!"

"Yeah, if your problem is anything that takes your feet off the ground. Remember the class trip to Europe? They quarantined you in the cargo hold because your atomic breath stunk up the whole plane!"

"I had to spend our first day in London washing the smell out of my clothes," Nadia shuddered.

Katie, now irked at getting distracted for a moment, clenched her teeth. "Why were  _you_  even on Earth to begin with?"

Colleen observed her daughter growing more irate and decided to intervene. "Honey, they came to protect you."

"It's true," Krolia folded her hands behind her back. "Princess Allura requested our help in ensuring your safety until she could come and retrieve you herself, but with the attack on your home and Shiro's… injuries, we had to alter our plans."

"The equipment aboard this ship was his only chance of survival," Acxa proclaimed, gesturing to Shiro's pod. "The cryo-replenisher will keep him stable until we reach Altea."

"It's home to some of the best scientists and healers in all the universe," Keith added. "They'll get him the proper treatment he needs."

But his words did little to ease Katie's mind, mainly because they were coming from him, the same guy whom Shiro almost got killed trying to save in the first place. "How long until we reach Altea?"

"Three varga-I mean hours, my apologies. The engine on this ship allows for instantaneous travel across the universe via wormhole, but it had yet to fully recharge after the first jump that brought us to Earth, so we had to stop short."

"Three hours," Katie repeated as the implications of Krolia's words sunk in. "Okay, I'm just gonna... sit down for a bit."

The Bearer then walked over to a bench right next to Shiro's pod and sat down, then let out a weary breath as the day's events caught up with her. She then felt a wet nose press against her dry one before Bae Bae licked her face to elicit a laugh out of her.

Seeing her child perk up lifted Colleen's spirits. "Krolia, could you give us a moment, please?"

"Of course. Take all the time you need. I'll inform you once we've entered Altea's system."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Colleen."

The Holt Matriarch offered a grateful smile to the Marmora Leader, who reciprocated with one of her own. Something passed between them in that instant that nobody could see or feel… except for Katie. It was fleeting, and she was unsure of what exactly it was, but it was definitely there.

The best she could describe it was a thin, near-invisible thread connecting her mother's heart with that of the alien warrior, but then it disappeared just as Krolia planted herself in the pilot's chair, one of three at the front of the ship. She observed the same phenomenon when Lance used his finger guns on Acxa, who now found the closest holo-panel to be very interesting. The most bizarre instance, though, came from Keith, who had two threads connected to his heart, the thinner one linking him to Nadia and its thicker twin going out through the window of the cockpit and into space.

_Is this another one of my powers?_

Then she took notice of another thread coming out of her  _own_  chest, this one as thick as a rope and shining bright white. It began at her heart and traversed the same path as Keith's, going on and on seemingly forever, yet she knew what awaited her on the other end, and she was getting closer.

She snapped out of it when she felt her mom join her on the bench. "What's on your mind?"

Katie scratched Bae Bae between her ears and took that time to organize her thoughts as best she could. "In just three hours we'll be arriving on another planet after our home was invaded by aliens, who only came because I had merged with a cosmic space lion the previous night."

"Katie, what happened to us, our home, to Shiro,  _wasn't_  your fault."

"I know, it's just… so much has happened in such a short time, it's insane."

"Not as insane as you taking down Sendak," Lance's commended with a light smack on her shoulder.

"How'd you pull that off, anyway?" Hunk asked.

Katie looked down at her hands, remembering a second pair of dark-skinned ones that guided her to victory, the same hands whose touch still lingered on her cheeks, the soft and warm hands that brought her into her first kiss. "Allura helped me."

"Allura?" Nadia recalled the name. "Isn't that the girl you have a long-distance relationship with?"

"Yes… and no."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's complicated, alright?!" everyone flinched back at Katie's outburst, sheer perplexity radiating off of them in waves, so she buried her face in her hands ashamedly. "I'm sorry, it's just… ugh."

Colleen scooted closer. "What's so complicated, dear?"

"This," she pointed to her own chest. "I don't understand what I'm feeling, Mom, or why! When Sendak first attacked me, I called Allura for help. Not Shiro, not any of you,  _her_. I needed her to be there, I want to be with her more than anything and it's driving me up the wall! How can I feel so strongly for a person after such a short period of time? It's nonsensical to my science brain!"

The older woman rubbed circles on her daughter's back to calm her and then pulled her close to rest against her side. "Perhaps there is simply nothing to make sense of."

"And how'd you formulate that hypothesis?"

"Personal experience, sweetheart. If there's one thing I learned when I met your father, it's that love is impetuous; it doesn't follow any rules or guidelines set by others. It endures and keeps pressing on, and you can choose either follow it or stay behind."

Katie repeated that word in her head over and over again. Love. Is that really what she felt for Allura? In the past, she had feelings for a few other girls, but it never went beyond childlike infatuation or primal lust, nothing of a… romantic sort like her mom was implying. Was this any different? She couldn't come to a conclusion just yet, not while her heart was busy clashing with her brain.

"I'll think about it," now gratified for the time being, she leaned away from her mother's hold. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime, dearie."

"Now, would you mind telling me when you got that tattoo of yours?"

"Oh, this," Coleen rolled up her sleeve, showcasing her green mark. "Well, Krolia said that I got it from you."

"From me?"

"Hunk and I got one too," the two gentlemen pulled up their pants legs to show off their own emblems.

"Acxa called them the 'Paladins of Voltron'," Veronica chimed in with air-quotes. "Whatever that means."

"Yeah, I'm a little lost too, you guys," Nadia admitted.

"I believe a full explanation is now in order," Ina suggested. "We did sort of get dragged into this, after all."

"Speak for yourself, Ina," Nadia muttered as she eyed Keith again with a  _very_  longing look. Nobody caught it except for Ina, but she didn't say anything and just filed it away in her mental notebook for later.

Veronica crossed her arms. "I couldn't in good conscience leave Shiro like that as hurt as he was, even if it meant going into freaking outer space. Concerned, yes, but not unwilling."

With an encouraging nod from her mother, the college girl turned intergalactic protector weighed her options and decided that it was time to come clean. It would provide context, at the very least, and be a good way to kill time until the got to Altea, so when Bae Bae had laid across her lap, she commenced with her story.

"Okay, so you know how Shiro and I went to find that meteor that crashed near the abandoned Garrison facility last night? Well, I couldn't have been more wrong about what it was…"

(X)

**Altea…**

On a balcony overlooking all of Oriande and the lands beyond, Allura gazed up at the blue sky, her anticipation growing with every passing tik. After she had woken up, she went about her morning rituals with even greater intensity than usual, knowing in her heart that Katie was on her way and would arrive this very day.

First, she made sure to wash and dry her body no less than  _three_  consecutive times before donning one of the many duplicates of her favorite dress after the one she had slept in was set aside to be cleaned. After that, she went about styling her hair, repeating the same instructions her mother taught her out loud to herself while adjusting the strands this way and that until, after the fifth attempt, she was firmly satisfied.

When the handmaidens arrived and informed her that she had missed breakfast, she handed them her dirty clothes and shooed them away, telling them to let her parents know that she would not be attending lunch either. They promised to bring her something to eat on their way out, and the moment the door closed, the princess went to work tidying up her chambers, even applying her own magic to aid in the process until it was more orderly and spotless than she ever remembered. She did feel a little bothered by herself for doing the job the maids were hired for in their stead, but they would understand. After all, this was a very special occasion, and Allura had to make sure that everything was perfect, especially her room.

Hopefully, she'd be sharing it with her beloved tonight and every night after.

With her preparations complete, all that was left to do now was wait for Krolia's ship to arrive with its precious cargo, hence the skygazing. The thread of fate, the representation of their bond, flowed from her chest and reached beyond the firmament, even beyond the system itself. Currently, the distance between her and her Kindred was enormous, but it was shrinking rapidly, and a bolt of barely containable glee surged through her.

"Not long now," she then heard the door open and someone walked in, likely one of the handmaids from earlier bringing her food. "Please leave it on the vanity and I will eat it shortly."

"Since when did you become such a lazy yalmor, dear cousin?"

Allura spun around and beamed at her unexpected guest. "Romelle!"

The golden-haired enchantress strut over to the balcony to hug her relative. "It's so good to see you, and congratulations!"

"For what?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Romelle pulled back and clasped Allura's hands in her own. "You are the Kindred One of the newest Defender of the Universe and she's on her way here right now with my Keith acting as her escort! Of course I was going to be here when you two were united!"

"Papa told you, didn't he?"

"Actually, he explained everything to Bandor, who then told me, and thus we packed our things and headed off."

"So Bandor's here, as well?"

"He's in the medical wing setting up shop, as, according to Uncle Coran, his expertise will be invaluable in the recovery process of the most wounded paladin, whom my sympathies go out to."

"Papa chose wisely," the princess felt more relaxed now that she had someone to talk to. "But yes, words cannot express my jubilance now that I'm  _this_  much closer to being with my other half. Was it the same for you and Keith?"

"In a way," Romelle leaned over the railing, resting on her forearms as she admired the view. "Our connection took time to grow as strong as it is now, while yours was instantaneous, and I'm assuming you still favor exclusivity?"

"Yes; Katie and I belong to each other and  _no one else_ ," Allura's steadfast demeanor, the same that made her the envy of modern diplomats, was on full display. "Our preferences are aligned and unmovable, I'm certain of it."

"I don't doubt you, but my point is that it's slightly different for everyone, as I'm sure your parents told you. In our case, even as our love grew, Keith and I soon realized that we still had room for one more, but only when the time was right."

"I remember you mentioning that. Have you two had any luck finding a potential addition?"

"I'm afraid not," the blonde exhaled, her chin now in her palm. "We haven't really had a chance to look thanks to our duties, and what little time we do have to ourselves is mostly spent catching up on… certain things."

Allura raised her brow questioningly. "You mean like the last time you two stayed over and kept the other guests awake well into the night whilst 'catching up'?"

"You're  _still_  upset about that?"

"Not anymore. I merely referenced it to explain why I took the liberty of soundproofing your room."

Romelle rolled her eyes. "You're so considerate, your majesty."

"Occasionally."

Another round of laughter they shared, the castle staff and one or two guards on patrol giving them a quick look as they tread across the courtyard below. As their breathing steadied, Allura felt her cousin take hold of her chin and lock eyes with her.

"Know this, my cousin, when you first lay eyes on your Kindred in the flesh, it will be the most wondrous feeling imaginable to which nothing can compare, the first of many you two will share throughout your long, happy life together."

Allura, deeply touched by her words, wiped her eyes as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. Now, how about we go get some lunch? I believe Miss Katie would appreciate you not going hungry on your big day."

She cast one last look above as she headed back inside. "I believe you're right."

"Also, allow me to thank  _you_  for improving my quarters," Romelle grinned sensuously. "Keith failed to call before embarking on his mission and owes me a big apology."

"Oh dear," Allura pressed her palm to her forehead and thanked whatever gave her the foresight to plan ahead.

(X)

"ACHOO!"

"Are you alright?" Krolia asked her son from her seat next to his.

"Yeah," he sniffed. "Don't know where that came from."

"Hey," Lance shouted from the back of the ship. "You'd better not be carrying any alien germs that could infect us with the space flu, pal!"

"I'm not," Keith countered. "I don't get sick like normal humans. It comes with being a hybrid."

"Well, good," the Cuban pointed to Shiro with his thumb. "We already got one ailing person onboard, anyway, so if you  _do_  catch something, remember to keep your distance, got it?"

"This is my ship," Keith spun in his chair to address Lance directly. "If you want more space, there's an airlock right over there with plenty on the other side."

"Boys," Krolia and Colleen both raised their voices at once, jarring the quarreling duo into silence and then winking at one another once the young men weren't looking.

As Acxa pat Keith on his back consolingly, Lance scowled at the wall, but he softened up once Veronica approached him with melancholy written all over her face. "Que pasa?"

_What's up?_

"Estás bien, hermanito?"

_You okay, little bro?_

"Sí."

_Yeah._

"Lo creeré cuando lo vea," her lips quirked in empathy. "Sé que estás pensando en ellos."

_I'll believe it when I see it. I know you're thinking of them._

He plopped down on the nearest bench and slumped over. "Los dejamos atrás, hermana, nuestra familia. Probablemente estén preocupados enfermos. Qué estaba pensando?"

_We left them behind, sis, our family. They're probably worried sick. What was I thinking?_

Veronica placed herself by his side. "No lo estabas, en realidad no. Estabas más preocupado por estar allí para Pidge y Shiro que considerar lo que significaría pasar por el espacio con tus amigos."

_You weren't, not really. You were just more concerned about being there for Pidge and Shiro than considering what it would mean to gallivant through space with your friends._

"Supongo que estas en lo correcto," he saw Hunk napping on the floor, Kova having found a new resting spot on his big, soft belly that steadily rose and fell as the large human snored. "Pero Hunk? Dijo 'no' al principio, pero luego insistí y... bueno, ya sabes cómo está bajo presión."

_I guess you're right. But Hunk? He said 'no' at first, but then I insisted and… well, you know how he gets under pressure._

"O en el fondo quería ir contigo, pero primero necesitaba un pequeño empujón,"

_Or deep down he wanted to come with you but needed a little push first._

She lightly shoved him, and he playfully returned the favor as the corners of his lips curled once again. "Tal vez, solo desearía que hubiera alguna forma en que pudiéramos hacer que todos en casa sepan que estamos bien."

_Maybe, I just wish there was some way we could let everyone back home know we're okay._

"Tal vez haya algo que podamos usar para llamar a la Tierra en Altea," Veronica observed Pidge, the center of this whole thing, lying on her back with her eyes closed and hands folded behind her head as she had been ever since she finished her story.

_Perhaps there's something we can use to call Earth on Altea._

Lance followed her line of sight. "Cuánto tiempo más hasta que lleguemos allí, crees?"

_How much longer until we get there, you think?_

Katie's eyes then shot open and she bolted upright, mildly startling the McClain siblings. "Now!"

"Gah," Hunk jolted awake as well, unwittingly throwing Kova off of him. "Whuh, we're here?"

"We are," Krolia waved her passengers to the front. "Come see for yourself."

Katie didn't need to be told twice. She leaped to her feet and sprinted to the front, Bae Bae following close behind before anyone else even had a chance to move. Hunk groggily lumbered along as Colleen, Nadia and Ina strolled ahead of him, but Lance and Veronica remained seated just a bit longer.

"Did you know that Pidge knew Spanish?" he asked, to which his sister seemed genuinely ignorant of the subject.

Eventually, the two got up and made their way to where everyone else had gathered behind the seats of the ship's three pilots. All were eagerly waiting for the chance to look upon Altea, an extraterrestrial world, for the first time, from space even! None were more excited that Katie, however, who gripped the corner of Keith's seat so tight that her fingernails nearly tore the fabric as her impatience to just  _get there_  grew by the second.

Soon enough, Planet Altea came into view and was truly a sight to behold, with large green continents and vast sapphire oceans, all different shapes than those of their homeworld. But the most awe-inspiring thing about it were the megastructural rings encircling it, plus the numerous towers jutting up from various points on the surface that were apparently so large that they  _pierced the very atmosphere itself_ , and all were connected by what looked like really, really long bridges that spanned the curvature of the planet.

Then they all felt Krolia's ship rumble a bit before seeing a giant cruiser appear overhead. It was sleek with white armor plating, its front half shaped like a flat disc, its back angular, and was easily the size of some of Earth's largest skyscrapers. Flanking it on each side were two smaller craft, likely scout or support vessels, both ring-shaped with several "fins" running along their back and their angular, pointed bows always facing forward.

Normally, Katie would have geeked out over such technological and scientific marvels, but there would be time for that later. All she could regard right now was the planet below, specifically a massive city that, from up here, was shaped like the wing of a bird or… an angel.

_Angel…_

_Katie, I’m here, awaiting your arrival. Don’t take too long._

Heat blossomed in her chest, so much that she could feel it transfer to the hand she placed over it. "I won't."

"Won't what, Pidge?" Hunk inquired.

"Allura… she's waiting for me down there."

Nadia shook her head. "Girl, you've got it soooo bad."

"I'm sure you can relate," Ina said, receiving a scowl from her roommate.

"Come again?"

The scout ships abruptly broke away from their formation and parked themselves on either side of their shuttle. A button started blinking on the control panel and Krolia pressed it to allow a commanding voice to speak through the comms.

" _Galra vessel, this is Captain Rapilac Den-Juc of the ASV Venturous. State your purpose for entering Altean space or we will be forced to detain you."_

"This is High Leader Krolia of the Blade of Marmora. I have been charged by Her Majesties Queen Melenor and Princess Allura with transporting the Bearer of Voltron and her Paladins directly to the Royal Palace. One of said Paladins is badly wounded and in need of immediate medical attention. Requesting permission to land."

" _Permission granted, Madam Krolia. We were told to expect your arrival around this time, but you know how protocol is."_

"I do, Captain, and thank you."

" _You're very welcome. Number One, recall the scouts and resume previous course and speed. Engage."_

True to the captain's word, the ring-ships swiftly returned to flanking the  _Venturous_ as it continued on its original path, its thrusters nearly blinding the group as it veered away in another direction and out of view. Krolia then pushed forward on the controls and soon the ship became engulfed in flames and shook unsettlingly as it made its descent, but it didn't last long. The fires dissipated as they steadied out about two kilometers above a massive field covered in beautiful fields of magenta flowers that Colleen took a particular liking to.

The plains, hills, and mountains were a feast for the eyes, but the main course was undoubtedly the sprawling city in the distance that they were now flying towards. There was seemingly no end to the ivory towers and buildings that went on as far as the eye could see. Aerial vehicles carefully navigated through the gleaming skyline and took care to avoid the Galra frigate that had just entered their airspace, its passengers astonished at everything they could see.

As Acxa checked to make sure all systems were nominal after the aerodynamic heating, Kova leaped onto the screen showing the readings just so he could get a better view of the outside, obstructing her work.

"If your fur gets in the circuitry again you're sleeping on the floor for a whole movement," she scolded her familiar, whose only response was to lick his paw, much to her irritation.

"This place is amazing," Hunk praised as he took in the sights, eyes wide with childlike wonder.

"No kidding," Lance agreed.

"It does have a certain charm to it," Ina conceded.

"Wait until you've seen the palace," Keith smirked.

"If only Sam could have seen all this," Colleen whispered to herself.

"Matt too," Katie lamented, her mom kissing her atop her head to comfort her.

Memories of Keith's father flashed in Krolia's mind and she felt a pang of sympathy go out to the Holts, but she wasn't done with her mission just yet and still had to accomplish her final objective. With that in mind, she steered to the left and passed in-between two identical buildings, and then there it was.

The Royal Palace was jaw-dropping, not to mention gigantic. Continuing with the comparisons to Earth-based structures, the central tower was as tall as the Burj Khalifa and twice as wide, and the four surrounding it, although smaller, would each give the Empire State Building a run for its money. The support structure the spires were built upon was easily the size of a baseball stadium and featured a pathway leading to a landing pad directly beside it that was almost as large, where they could see a group of people gathered near the center.

Katie felt her own pulse quicken. She knew who was waiting for her down there, and the closer they got to touching down, the more nervous she became at the prospect of seeing her, of talking to her, touching her. This was all a new experience for her and the jitters were in full swing as a result of her being so close to her dream girl in the waking world. Luckily, Lance was there to pull her back from the brink.

"What's the matter, Pidge?"

"I… I don't know what to do when I see her," she admitted, only to feel his hand grasp her shoulder firmly.

His grin meant only one thing: Sharpshooter had returned.

"That's why I'm here," he boasted. "I've got just the thing that'll have her swooning over you."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "I'm not doing the shoulder touch."

"Oh c'mon, it'll work."

"No, it won't."

"I'm telling you, Pidge, it's science."

"You failed science."

"Oh yeah? In what grade?"

"Yes!"

"Uh, guys?" Hunk pointed to the back of the ship, where a lamp had lowered to provide their exit. "I think they're waiting for us to get off."

This was it.

Katie looked to her family and friends beside her, her mother nodding encouragingly and then gently nudging her forward with the rest of them not far behind, including Kosmo, the tough wolf limping along, refusing to be left behind. All was quiet save for the sound of their steps echoing throughout the ship's interior, and she peered at Shiro empathically before descending the ramp. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the sunlight as she neared the bottom, and when all was clear, she was greeted by the sight of the welcoming committee.

The three in front immediately stood out. One was a bulky, bearded man clothed in white and gold armor, with a sword strapped to his side to boot. Standing next to him with his arms folded behind his back was an orange-haired Altean with a bushy mustache and lighter complexion. But when her eyes fell on the third individual, a woman clad in all pink…

_Is that… no. She looks very similar, though._

A row of guards stood on either side of the trio, one of both male and female Alteans, and the other appeared to be robots of some kind. Her attention was then drawn to the armored man as he walked a few steps towards her and then stopped in front of her group.

"Greetings, Katie Holt and company," he said. "I am Alfor, King of the Altean people. To my right is my wife, Queen Melenor, and to my left is my husband, Duke Coran Smythe."

"Ahem," Coran coughed.

"Sorry, Duke Coran ‘The Gorgeous Man’ Smythe," the king amended his own words, his husband preening while his wife chuckled at his embarrassment. "And my daughter, well, she requires no introduction, I'm sure."

He stepped aside to provide a clear line of sight to the lady in question, and then Katie saw her.

Her friends gave varied reactions to see the princess in person, not just hearing about her from Katie, but their voices drifted off to somewhere unimportant to the brunette. Allura was still wearing the same dress and hairstyle she wore during both their previous interactions and up until now, her head had been lowered as she waited for her father to finish speaking. And when she raised it so their eyes could meet…  _it happened_.

Katie didn't know exactly how to describe it, but she could definitely  _feel_  it. It felt as though the whole universe had stilled and was focusing solely on the two of them, and that miracles were happening everywhere. She tasted life-giving rainwater some desert planet far away, heard the sound of newborn infants taking their first breath of air on dozens of worlds, and saw colors she had no names for dancing all around them.

When she looked into Allura's eyes, she saw something that was hers and hers alone. The missing piece, her other half, the one and only being in existence who would complete her, make her whole now and forever. She was starstruck by this goddess of a woman; every time she blinked, she was upset over having lost a split second of adoring her.

For the first time in her life, Katie Holt knew what love was. It was different from the love she felt for her mother or the love she felt for her friends and Bae Bae. This was deep, it was resounding, a love she'd only ever be able to feel for Allura and vice versa. Only with _her_ could she see and experience things she never saw or experienced before, for they were special to each other in a way no one else ever could or would be.

And it was clear by the shocked expression on Allura's face that the princess was feeling the exact same thing as she was.

The marks on both their faces were shining bright and the thread linking their hearts was pulled taught in both directions, compelling them to begin closing the gap. Neither of them knew when the other started running, nor did they care, and soon enough, Katie was leaping forward into the wide open arms of her Angel.

And then it was all bliss.

"Katie," Allura caught her, twirling around as she held her Kindred like the precious thing she was. "My Katie!"

"Allura," Katie cried out joyously as she hung from the taller woman's neck.

Every point of contact between their bodies felt delightfully energized. Allura pulled her even closer until their tears became smudged against the skin of their cheeks, and Katie welcomed it. The strong but slender arms wrapped around her spoke of comfort and safety, and how much they treasured the girl they were holding.

Allura's arms, her embrace, her very presence felt like  **home**.

The Bearer's feet touched the ground again, and she dropped further as both women lowered themselves to their knees. Their foreheads pressed together as they giggled nonstop, unable to contain their exuberance in the slightest.

"I missed you," Allura sighed.

"I missed you, too," feeling the urge to repay her for earlier, Katie raised her thumb and brushed it over one of Allura's marks to mop up the most recent tear to streak down her flawless face.

_You know everyone's watching, right?_

_I don't care,_  Allura thought back.  _Do you?_

_Hmm…no._

_I thought not._

The tittering started anew but didn't last very long as Katie's eyes were drawn to the royal's pretty lips. The overwhelming urge to kiss them, to sample Allura's impeccable body again, made her freeze, as she didn't want to do anything her other half might find embarrassing in such a public setting.

A twinkle in the stars of her Angel's eyes conveyed exactly what she thought of it.  _What are you waiting for?_

FNRRRRRRK

Every single person present was drawn to the sight of an overly emotional Hunk blowing his nose on his own sleeve, much to Katie and Allura's annoyance and Lance's disgust, as he was standing directly next to the heavyset human and was almost sprayed.

 _It certainly wasn't that,_  Katie responded with a bitter eye-twitch.

"Dude!" Lance jumped away from his friend, waving his hands frantically to fend off the germs.

"I'm s-sorry, okay?" Hunk bawled. "I just… I remembered the stories my moms told me about how they became a couple and… and… they were so beautifuhuhuuuuuugh!"

 _Your paladins are certainly… eccentric,_  Allura commented telepathically, watching as the mature woman with short hair, Colleen, she remembered, hugged Hunk and pat the wailing man's head to calm him down.

 _They're not so bad once you get to know them,_  Katie shrugged.  _How long that takes just varies from person-to-person._

 _Oh dear,_  half-lidded eyes bored into the smaller of the two.  _I hope I don't have to wait long_ _to get to know **you** , my Kindred._

Was that tone suggestive? Because the young defender was now tingling in places unknown, but before her thoughts could drift any further into  _that_  kind of territory, Keith and his family came walking down the ramp with Shiro's pod hovering alongside them.

Uncertainty snaked its way into Katie's mind.  _You can help him, right?_

 _Yes,_  Allura nodded.  _The one assigned to his care should be here momentarily._

Rapid footsteps and heaving lungs heralded the arrival of a young Altean man with curly brown hair garbed in slightly loose-fitting robes of various shade of green. He was carrying what looked like an electronic clipboard under his arm, and he stormed passed Allura and Katie without really acknowledging them.

 _Ah, there he is,_  Allura mused.

He skid to a halt in front of the Marmorans. "Sorry I'm late."

"Bandor?" Keith blanched, recognition and fear plastered all over his face.

"Hello, Keith," Bandor waved with his free hand as he panted for breath. "Long time no see."

"But if you're here then that means…"

"So. Am. I," spoke yet another new arrival.

This one was a truly stunning girl who looked  _very_  cross with Keith as she stomped over to him, her long blonde pigtails bouncing with every step. She got right up in his personal space and then just stood there, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently while shooting him a glare that could level mountains.

_There she goes putting on a show again._

Katie's curiosity spiked _. Who is she?_

_Romelle. She and Bandor are my cousins._

_And this act is a regular thing for her?_

_Only with Keith._

Katie was starting to consider that Alteans and humans were not so different in certain areas.

"H-Hey, Romelle," Keith cleared his throat and then went about pleading his case. "Look, I know I didn't call you, and I'm sorry, but this mission was different from my usual ones."

"How?" Romelle demanded of him.

 _She already knows,_  Allura revealed.  _She's playing him._

 _Cheeky,_  Katie smirked internally, recalling how her big brain always put her one step ahead of her friends or anyone else who dared to challenge her brilliance, an advantage she used quite often, even just to mess with people for funsies.

"This one took us to Earth,” he gestured to the humans beside him. "That's where they all came from."

Romelle curiously scrutinized the group of offworlders one by one, ultimately settling on Nadia last. The spectacled college girl's aspect remained neutral under the blonde Altean's gaze, the latter of which reacted with a simple head tilt and a thoughtful hum.

"I see," Romelle acknowledged, turning back to Keith. "However, it would be better to continue this discussion in private rather than in front of our guests."

His eyed widened and his body went rigid, only for him to loosen up the next instant with a quiet exhale. "Alright."

"Good," Allura's cousin then politely bowed to the group. "If you'll excuse us, please."

Romelle turned and began walking back the way she came while Keith remained where he stood, stiff as a board until he found it in himself to remove a chip from his wrist computer and hand it to Bandor.

"These are some ideas I had on how to better equip Shiro in the future," both his hands held Bandor by the shoulders. "Take care of him."

"I shall," the boy promised, and after Keith powerwalked to catch up with Romelle, he inserted the chip into his clipboard and studied the new information. "Oh my."

"Will he be alright, young man?" Colleen's hands were interlocked close to her chest almost like a prayer gesture.

"He'll be  _better_  than alright," he snapped his fingers twice and then two of the guards broke formation to approach him, one from each row. "Gentlemen, would you do the honor of helping me escort my new patient to the medical wing?"

"Right away/Affirmative," they took positions on either side of the pod.

"If all goes smoothly, he'll be up and about again by tomorrow," Bandor promised the visitors, and then he gave the sleeping Shiro a look that could only pass as endeared. "I can already see that he's  _very_  strong."

A moment passed in which Bandor just stared at the unconscious paladin while everyone else observed in awkward silence, and when the specialist finally caught himself, he bid them all farewell and ordered the guards to get moving. He made sure to bow just like his sister did before chasing after Shiro's entourage.

"Well, that was a thing," Ina declared.

Nadia tucked her hands into her pockets with a huff. "Yeah, it was."

As interesting as it was to see humans and Alteans interact, Allura and Katie figured that it was best time to move along. They were perfectly in-synch as they rose to their feet again, holding hands and turning to face the assembled party of onlookers before the taller of the two started off by clearing her throat.

"As I'm sure Katie has already told you all," she reveled in the blush that brought to her darling's face. "I am Princess Allura, and allow me to formally welcome you to our home. I'm sure that each of you have many,  _many_  questions on your minds you wish to ask, and they will be answered, but might I suggest a bit of rest before we discuss things over dinner, perhaps?"

Each of them exchanged either nods or shrugs, and once a consensus had been achieved, Colleen acted as the spokesperson. "That sounds lovely, your majesty, and allow me to wholeheartedly thank you for looking out for my daughter."

"I always will," Allura locked eyes with her fated once more and then inclined her head toward the castle. "Shall we?"

"Absolutely."

Hand-in-hand, the Princess of Altea and the Bearer of Voltron embarked on their trek to the next chapter of their lives. Katie knew the others were following, but all that mattered to her right now was the warmth of Allura's touch, the grace she displayed with every step, and the way her eyes shone with tender luster every time they sneaked a peek at each other.

So much had happened, so much had changed, for her and everyone she knew, and she sensed that more changes lie ahead, but she wasn't concerned.

She was surprised, yes, but even more so, at peace.

Now that she and her Angel were together at last, she had no reason  _not_  to be.

(X)

 **AN** :

Another one down, and again, a lot later than I intended. Life keeps you busy, ya know?

Thanks for your patience, but I'm gonna take a short break from this for about a week before I start the next chapter. Work on some other fun ideas, relax a little bit and recover from my illness, that kind of stuff.

Peace out!


	7. Now and Forever and Ever

Her journey through the castle, despite how short it was, would be remembered by Katie as one of the most exciting experiences of her life. Everything about it was so scientifically brilliant, so mathematically elegant. From the light fixtures lining the halls that gave off cool teal light, to the teleportation hubs that servants and guards entered or emerged from instantaneously, she couldn't  _not_  faun over every little detail… when she wasn't doing the same to Allura, of course.

She couldn't help it. Her Angel carried herself with such immense strength and confidence that it was no wonder every member of the castle staff made sure to acknowledge her with the utmost respect when she passed them by. From her perspective, Allura had this glow about her that brightened every room and hallway she led them through, lifting everyone's spirits simply by her being there.

She found herself staring at the alien woman multiple times, her gaze always ending up at Allura's lips right before the latter caught her red-handed every single instance. Her desire refused to be suppressed so easily, much to her embarrassment, but in the midst of it, she felt her dream girl squeeze her hand reassuringly.

 _Soon,_ Allura whispered in her mind, calming her for the time being.

Eventually, the royal family led them to a hub room full of teleporters of varying colors. Each one would take a specific Paladin to their personal quarters where they could freshen up and rest for an hour before dinner. After Lance, Hunk, and her mom accompanied by Bae Bae were transported to other parts of the castle, the rest were escorted by a servant to the guest wing, which left Katie with Allura and her parents. At Queen Melenor's suggestion, Allura agreed to show Katie where she would be staying personally, but rather than travel via hub, the taller woman opted to teleport the two of them there under her own power.

So after taking her fated's hands in her own, Allura whisked her away to another part of her very large home. When it was over, the two stood before a large door with a golden archway, and Katie shivered as the phantom sensation of cold snowflakes riddled her body in the aftermath.

"Shiro was right, that does feel weird."

"It can be if you're not used to it," Allura stated. "But with practice, you will grow as accustomed to it as walking or breathing. Shall we?"

Katie nodded and the door closed behind them once they crossed the threshold together. The room itself was very spacious and contained all sorts of amenities, the first being a large, comfy-looking bed underneath an overhang, and two sets of privacy curtains were pulled back so it could be visible. The nightstand next to the bed had a small pot containing one of the flowers she saw in the fields beyond the city. A vanity desk was built into the right wall beside a door leading to what she assumed was a bathroom. Opposite of that on the left side of the room was a large dresser, a body-length mirror, and yet another wider door leading to what must have been a closet, and then she discovered another opening leading out to a balcony.

But closer inspection revealed something strange. The desk had all sorts of bottles neatly arranged next to three different hairbrushes and a small jewelry box, and the bed seemed to have a few too many pillows for only one person to use.

"Um, Allura, are you sure this is my room? Because it kinda looks like someone already lives here."

"Someone does," the royal revealed, her cheeks flushed. "Me."

Katie blinked. "So this is your room?"

"Yes."

"But it's also  _my_  room?"

"If you want it to be."

Once she finally connected the dots, the new defender became equally as flustered as her dream girl was. "Y-You want to share with me?"

"I do," Allura grasped her beloved's hand again. "It is considered commonplace for the Bearer and their Kindred to live together, but if the idea is unappealing to you right now, or if you feel it's too soon, I can easily arrange for you to stay somewhere else until you are comfortable with it. I want to be close to you, but I would never force you to do anything if you're unwilling."

Katie looked back to the bed in thought. In truth, she had never actually shared one with anybody in the way Allura was proposing, even after she discovered her sexuality. The closest experience she could think of was whenever she, Matt, Lance, and Hunk would stay up late reading sci-fi books or studying for tests together until they fell asleep within their pillow fort. During her time at college, even, she didn't have any roommates by special request to make room for all her little projects, both personal and educational. This was uncharted territory for her.

And yet, she wasn't apprehensive about it at all. It didn't feel rushed or wrong in any way, it felt natural. It felt right. Going to bed with Allura every night and then seeing her first thing in the morning was too appealing to pass up. Maybe it would be considered moving a little fast for some people, but what she and Allura had was something no human had ever experienced before to her knowledge, and she was going to make the most of it.

"I'll do it."

Her words left Allura bewildered. "You will?"

Katie looked back to her with a bashful smile. "I want to be close to you too."

Allura grinned, placing a feather-light peck on the back of Katie's hand, and like a moth to a flame, the human's eyes were drawn to the Altean's lips yet again, lingering there as her whole body began to heat up.

"Thank you for your willingness to give this a chance," then Allura gave her a smoldering look that shocked Katie in how it didn't make her burst into flames on the spot. "And for being so patient with me."

Katie's heart hammered in anticipation of what was about to happen before Allura took her face in her hands, leaned down, and finally kissed her. She closed her eyes when their lips made contact, surrendering herself to the care and tenderness the giver was putting into it. The whole experience was soft, sweet, but over far too soon, and when Allura pulled back, her gaze kept flicking back and forth between Katie's eyes and mouth. Through their bond, she perceived that Allura wanted to keep going but was reluctant, fearful that doing so might overstep her bounds.

Good thing Katie  _wanted_  her to overstep her bounds. She yearned for more; they both did, inexperience be damned.

And so the emboldened brunette seized the ivory-haired beauty by her cheekbones. "C'mere."

Allura's brows shot up in surprise before her Kindred's lips crashed against her own, kissing her for all she was worth. She returned the gesture in kind, the two women making out intensely as if they needed one another just to breathe. Testing the waters, Allura licked at Katie's bottom lip in a silent request, and the Bearer granted it, their tongues now dancing as they explored where no one ever had before. About the time that kisses three and four turned into twelve and fifteen their hands began to roam, guided by nothing but sheer desire. Katie's palm found its way to Allura's breast just as the latter's hand snaked under the hem of her shirt and caressed the small of her back. Both actions sent lightning bolts of pleasure shooting up their spines, making them moan into each other's mouths.

But this provided an opportunity for the logical part of her mind to break through, at last, urging her to stop lest she be overwhelmed. She reluctantly pulled away with a gasp, panting for breath as she looked up into Allura's eyes, dilated and glazed over, and wondered if she looked the same way.

 _Yes, and you're gorgeous,_  Allura confirmed wholeheartedly.

Katie's face dyed scarlet instantly, so she tried hiding it in the closest thing available, that being Allura's voluminous bosom. The rhythmic heartbeat within helped ease her down from her high, as did the intoxicating scent of vanilla and raspberry permeating through the fabric of the dress, which was quickly becoming her favorite smell. When she felt an arm wrap around her waist and then a hand cradle the back of her head, she sighed in utter contentment, melting into the embrace.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Whatever for?" Allura asked in confusion.

"For stopping."

"Oh Katie," the princess used her fingers to massage the human's scalp. "You can start or stop anytime you wish. You should never have to feel guilty about exercising restraint with your feelings."

"My feelings," Katie echoed, her blood still thundering through her veins. "I've never felt this way about anyone."

"Felt like what?" Allura tipped the tiny girl's chin upward, sensing her struggle to find the right words. "It's alright, just speak from your heart."

"My heart is going crazy," she blurted out, and then her words spilled forth torrentially. "I-I feel like I've been waiting for you all my life without consciously knowing it, and now that we're together I know for a fact that this is where I belong, that I'm meant to be with you and  **only**  you now and forever and ever. This is all new to me and may very well be illogical from a human standpoint, but I don't care; you're beautiful, warm, and kind, you make me feel so safe, and I want you more than I've ever wanted anything or anyone!"

A watery smile bloomed on Allura's face. "It was a tremendous relief to find you in the Quintessence Field, to look upon you at long last and think 'There you are'. To be bound to another in mind, body, and soul is a treasure I have longed to possess, and I'm overjoyed to share it with you. You're charmingly thoughtful and curious, you respond well to change, and your small stature not only contains a big heart but also adds to how utterly adorable you are. Wherever our journey takes us through this life and beyond I will be with you always, for I am yours, Katie, now and forever and ever."

"And I'm yours, Allura."

The lip-lock that followed sealed the deal, as did the light of their aura's mingling together, illuminating the air around them in a gentle pink and white hue. Upon separating, Allura kissed each of Katie's facial markings and the shorter woman reciprocated, an additional sign of acceptance between them. They then joined hands again and glided across the room before sitting down on the edge of the bed side-by-side.

"Okay," Katie exhaled. "So now that we've established… us, what's next?"

"We still have one varga before dinner," Allura smiled, reached forward, and brushed a lock of chestnut hair behind her Kindred's ear. "How would you like to spend it?"

"Well, I definitely need a shower," she sniffed under her arm and winced, pulling at the tears in the fabric of her shirt. "And a change of clothes. Sendak did a real number on these."

There was a long pause before Allura spoke again, her voice sounding strained. "He did."

Katie felt that something was off way before she saw it in Altean's shimmering eyes and trembling lip. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing's wrong now, b-but..." she then crushed Katie to her chest, sobbing into her shoulder as she clung to the human's small form. "Oh stars, Katie, Sendak could've  _killed_  you! I could feel your pain, your terror, and I was so scared of losing you; I don't know what I would've done if you… if…"

Although glad that this was being brought up now instead of later, Katie felt herself beginning to cry also as the memories came flooding back. Her home ablaze, Sendak's menacing glare, Shiro's scream as his arm was torn off, and (arguably above all) her conscious choice to kill a person to protect what she loved. It was a harrowing experience, yes, one that would stick with them both the rest of their lives, but dwelling on it would do neither of them any good.

She learned that from the  _last_  traumatic event she suffered through.

She attempted to convey that by wrapping her arms around Allura's middle and then running her hands up and down the woman's back soothingly. Almost immediately, her tense back muscles began to relax and her diaphragm stopped shaking as much.

"Hey,  _shhh_ ," Katie cooed. "It's okay, Angel; he didn't get me. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Her ministrations paid off as Allura eased away from her, smiling as she wiped her eyes.

"You're right," she sniffed. "We can't change what happened or worry about what could've transpired. What matters is that we're together now, and we have so much to look forward to."

"Agreed. Now, about that shower…"

"Right through that door by the vanity. You should have no trouble learning how everything works."

"Thanks," Katie stood up from the bed, her hand still connected to that of her soulmate. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll be waiting," Allura promised.

And with that, they released one another. As Katie turned and crossed the room, she could feel Allura watching and admiring her every step of the way. Upon reaching the door, she looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with the other woman. The image of her sitting there with her posture straight, her hands folded in her lap, and her smile lighting up the room was almost like a painting, one that she committed to memory as the door closed behind her.

The second she was alone, Allura fell back on the bed and let out a long, happy sigh. She then grabbed a pillow, shoved her face into it, and squeed like an overly-excited adolescent while kicking her feet in the air. Hugging the pillow to her chest, she rolled back and forth across the blankets, laughing merrily, all to relieve her pent-up joy that had been building since she and her Kindred first met.

Likewise, Katie was busy hugging herself as she shook from jolly guffaws, the wonder and elation of getting to experience such intimacy with her soulmate mere minutes ago overtaking her completely. Once her emotions were properly vented, she rested her back against the door in a blissful daze and then took in the details of Allura’s personal washroom.

It was moderately-sized and every bit as luxurious as one would expect. Built into the floor next to the back wall was a crystalline tub that looked more like a jacuzzi, and to the left was a walk-in shower visible through a large glass pane. In-between the two appliances (both of which were big enough for more than one person) was a shelving unit full of fluffy white towels, and another mirror and countertop combo was set up along the right wall. This one, however, was slightly larger than the one in the bedroom proper and featured a sink with actual knobs as opposed to annoying-as-hell motion sensors like most bathroom fixtures on Earth had nowadays that NEVER WORKED RIGHT!

Facing the mirror now, she made a mental note to ask about the physical changes to her body later before beginning to undress. She removed her shoes and socks first, then off went her shirt and pants, and finally her sports bra and boxer briefs, dropping them all into a messy pile on the floor. Lastly, she undid her ponytail, and after loosening the strands she took a moment to study her naked reflection. Her fair skin contrasted against the silver walls and teal lights of the room, and her hands trailed down over her small breasts before settling on her hips as she turned around to get a good look at her petite rear.

"How would she react if I walked out like this?" Katie wondered aloud, only to then facepalm herself for entertaining that notion. "Where did  _that_  come from?"

She tried backtracking her thoughts but went a little too far, resulting in them going the complete opposite direction. If she didn't walk out, what if Allura walked  _in_? She did use this place at least once a day, right? She'd come in here and strip down to her birthday suit before either descending into the steaming bath like a graceful dove or stand in the shower and lather her hair as her nude form glistened from the soap suds and hot water cascading down every inch of her creamy chocolate skin-

"Ugh, get a grip, you gay disaster!"

Remembering the pile of clothes she then realized that she had nothing else to change into. _Hey_ _, Allura?_

_Yes?_

_Is there anything in here that could provide me with something else to wear?_

_The mirror is also a computer you can use to select from a variety of clothing options. The castle staff will deliver your choice within a few doboshes and then take your old garments to be cleaned. I sometimes use it when I want to try on something new._

Katie pressed her fingertip to the reflective glass, and a chime preceded the manifesting of a display littered with Altean symbols and letters, like a big touch-screen monitor.

_Well, these were just a one-off costume I wasn't going to wear again anyway, so they can be thrown out, and doboshes means 'minutes', right?_

_Correct._

_Alright, I'll figure this thing out after my shower. Thanks._

_You're welcome._

Striding over to the appropriate appliance, the glass pane dematerialized at her touch and then rematerialized after she stepped inside. She noted the absence of controllable handles beneath the faucet, and in their place was a white orb that strongly resembled a giant pearl. There was also a silver square that stood out in the otherwise all-white stall, and pushing the button in the bottom corner caused it to slide open, revealing a small shelf supporting a few bottles of varying sizes. She retrieved one that held a pink liquid and studied the label; a picture of the same flower on Allura's nightstand, and despite never studying the Altean language prior, she (somehow) understood the words.

"Juniberry Hair and Body Wash," she popped the cap and got a good whiff of the scent, the results surprising her. "Raspberries and vanilla. This must be her favorite."

And Allura gave her permission to use it, meaning that by the time Katie was finished cleaning herself, she would smell the same as her. They would be  _that_  much closer in a strange sort of way, but still…

Best not keep her waiting.

Placing her hand on the pearl, it pulsed with green light and emitted a programmed response.  _"Standby. Adjusting temperature to acceptable parameters."_

A second later the water rained down on her, a perfect mixture of slightly hot with a dash of cold added in that massaged her from head to toe, washing all her worries and cares down the drain. Just right.

"Oh…"

(X)

"Yes… yes, right there… ah!"

Romelle moaned and keened to her heart's content as Keith apologized to her in the best way he knew how: by making sweet love to her over and over again until her needs were thoroughly satisfied. For this particular round they lay on their sides, she with her leg hiked up and her arm wrapped around his neck for support as he drilled into her repeatedly from behind. His movements were powerful, precise, and oh so stimulating, her perky breasts undulating as her body rocked to his rhythm. She made sure to repay him in equal measure, her folds tightening around him every time he retracted, desperate to keep him inside, the sensual groans he gave off music to her pointed ears.

They were in their own little world; the castle, the planet, the stars, all ceased to be but for them, two longtime lovers engaging in the most passionate form of communication and expression. It was pure ecstasy to have him inside her, to be so deeply connected with him physically and emotionally as they carried each other to the highest peaks of pleasure. Every occasion they partook of this ritual was always just as good (if not better) than the first, and she could  _never_  get enough of it.

Neither could he, for that matter, but there was something else spurring him on this time. Romelle could sense a tension coiling in her Kindred, a buildup of emotional stress that, while adding to his vitality, was weighing heavily on him, more so than usual after he returned from a mission. It was cause for concern and she  _would_  talk with him about it after this session, but right now she could at least savor his improved performance while it lasted.

Speaking of which, his pace began to increase, his turgid member now blurring in and out of her sopping nethers, signaling his impending third… or was it his  _fourth_  climax? Either way, praise be to the Ancients for her Kindred's sheer endurance both in and out of the bedroom.

Mostly in.

"Romelle," Keith grunted, his hot breath tickling the back of her neck. "I'm… nnngh… almost…"

"No," she grabbed his hair and pulled, reminding him of who was still in charge. "Don't you… oohh… don't you dare… not until I'm… mmph… ready… aaah!"

He grit his teeth and focused all his efforts on maintaining his current speed, while Romelle gave herself over to the euphoria of his less-than-tender dicking. The heat in her core flared, her arousal grew, and the supple flesh of her buttocks rippled every time his pelvis made contact with it, his testes slapping against her bud with each incredible thrust.

Just the way she liked it.

"Keith… oh, Keith," she whined. "So… so good!"

His only response was to growl like a feral animal, and that was the breaking point.

Timing it perfectly, he buried himself as deep within her rippling folds as he could. She squeezed the intruder in a vice-like grip and then finally came undone with a rapturous cry. Keith's release was quieter but no less intense, his length throbbing as he emptied into her sweltering depths in a series of warm pulses, his orgasm mixing with her own. Once they were finished, he let go of her leg so he could wrap both arms around her stomach and pull her flush against himself. Romelle let out a delighted sigh as his manhood softened but remained nestled inside, heat blossoming in her lower belly as the dull ache of exertion settled on them both.

Their bodies were covered in sweat, the now-ruined bedsheets would need to be changed again, and the air was thick with the musky scent of sex.

It was paradise.

"Well?" Keith panted into her ear.

She nuzzled her cheek against his. "Apology accepted, Pup."

"Good," he rolled onto his back and she on top of him, still craving the closeness even after his penis slipped out of her. "I don't think I could've gone on for much longer."

"You were in top form today and then some," she crossed her forearms on his chest and rested her chin on them while gazing imploringly into his eyes. "What's bothering you?"

He stood no chance against those dazzling pools of violet that could read him like a book. Keith always had a hard time opening up to others when he was younger, but thanks to the help of his family, and  _especially_  Romelle, he'd made tremendous progress in breaking out of his shell in recent years to where it was no longer as difficult to share his thoughts and feelings with those he trusted. These moments with his girlfriend where he could clear the air were very important to him, and he would always be grateful for her support.

"Going back to Earth was surreal," he divulged, his head sinking into the pillow as he stared at the ceiling. "One minute I'm standing in the town I was born in feeling like a complete outsider, the next Shiro’s hugging me and everything's back to the way it was before I left."

"You miss those times," Romelle stated. "The people most of all."

A nostalgic smile formed on Keith's face. "For a moment it felt like old times… until Sendak fucked it all up."

"Shiro's going to be okay, Keith," she pressed her lips to his, calming reassurance flowing into him. "My brother will take good care of your brother."

"I know," a pang of nervousness shot through him as his thoughts shifted focus to the other thing on his mind. "But there was someone else there, too, a girl who came back with us."

"The one wearing glasses and a cute headband?"

His eyes widened. "How'd you know?"

"Her emotions spoke volumes and made me very curious to know what history you have with her if you wouldn't mind sharing."

Keith put one arm behind his head and laid the other over her back to get comfortable. "Her name's Nadia. We met in middle school after I saved her from some bullies, and after that, she became the only person I ever hung out with besides Shiro."

She gave him a knowing look. "Now, when you say 'saved from bullies'…"

"They ended up in the nurse's office while she and I were sent to the principal's to tell our side of the story," he blew his damp bangs out of his eyes with a huff. "I would've probably gotten suspended that day if she didn't stand up for me."

"And you two became friends after that?"

"Kinda," Romelle's look of puzzlement spurred him on. "See, it wasn't just my angst that kept me from making friends, a lot of the other kids were jealous because Shiro, the cool big bro they all wanted, chose me to be his buddy instead of them, so they pushed me away. But Nadia was different; she respected how close Shiro and I were, and as a thank you for helping her, she appointed herself my 'proxy pal', someone I could hang out and have fun with whenever Shiro was too busy with school or work."

"Is that all she was to you?" she questioned with a tilt of her head. "A mere substitute?"

"Back then… yes," he winced. "It's cold, I know; looking back I was too stupid and emo to not think of her as more than a stand-in."

"You are  _not_  stupid and emo anymore," she cupped his cheek and kissed him again, more deeply this time. "You are a noble man, my Kindred, my Pup, whom I love with every fiber of my being."

"I forgot all about her, Pixie," his pained voice made her heart ache. "I couldn't even remember her name until Shiro said it."

"This is your chance to apologize and make it right. She will forgive you, I'm sure."

" _How_  can you be so sure?"

"Remember what I said about her emotions?" he nodded. "She _yearns_ for you, more than she does for air to breathe."

That was a surprise he didn't expect. "You're saying she has… feelings for me?"

"Very strong ones," Romelle then began tracing circles around her boyfriend's heart with her finger. "And you feel something for her, as well, don't you?"

Sometimes Keith also forgot how good Alteans were at reading people with their empathic abilities.

He wanted to deny it but found that he couldn't without lying to himself. On Earth, Nadia was the only kid his age willing to reach out to him on his terms instead of treating him like a rival or enemy. But why did she feel so strongly for him? He used her, treated her like a placeholder instead of the loyal companion she was and then disappeared from her life without a trace, let alone a goodbye. Would she still feel the same towards him after learning that she was forgotten? What was she to him now, anyway?  _Who_  was she now?

"I'm… not sure," he confessed.

"It's alright," Romelle reached forward and began twirling the ebony locks behind his ear. "In time, we will discover what she means to us as we get to know her more."

"We?" he raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are you saying…?"

"I'm saying that her hairband wasn't the only part of her I thought was cute," she blushed a heavy pink, but then grabbed his arm and started pulling him out of bed. "Now, come."

"Again?"

"Not like that. To the  _shower_ ; we only have forty-five doboshes until dinner."

He laughed as she tugged him along. "Good thing we worked up an appetite, right?"

"I wouldn't mind a second helping of dessert after the main course."

They were now in the shower stall, the hot water hitting Keith's back as he held his Pixie close. "Now, when you say 'dessert'…"

She pinched his thigh. "I mean  _food_ , not sex."

"Okay, just so we're clear."

"Shut up and hand me the soap."

(X)

 **A.N** :

Here you go, the fluffiest fluff these hands could fluff between Katie and Allura, and some zesty sexy-times with Keith and Romelle.

I know I can do these faster if I don't let myself get distracted. I will do better and get these out faster than two-and-a-half months at a time. Thank you all for being so patient.

Next time: Dinner is served, featuring a heaping portion of exposition with a healthy side of character interaction. Get ready to dig in!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment/review.
> 
> I appreciate your critiques; they help me improve as a writer.
> 
> Thank you.


End file.
